


A Happy Accident

by orphan_account



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Ladrien | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Misunderstandings, Romantic Comedy, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, ladrien appreciation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28471152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A misunderstanding leads to Adrien asking out Ladybug... as himself. Drama ensues, and two lovestruck idiots try to make things work despite ridiculous circumstances.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 17
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a repost of a story I deleted a while back- my New Year's Resolution is to actually finish it this time. I'm truly sorry to everybody that left comments / kudos last time, I truly am grateful that you took the time! There's been a couple of minor edits throughout (smaller chapters have been combined into bigger ones), but it's largely the same story.

“Come on Chat Noir, where are you?” Ladybug said to herself, as she dodged yet another car the supervillain lobbed at her head.

The akuma growled in anger as her projectiles failed to hit their mark, granting Ladybug a moment’s reprieve as the villain looked for more items to throw. Ladybug looked around frantically, unleashing a frustrated growl of her own as there was still no sign of her feline partner anywhere. Winning the fight on her own wasn’t  _ impossible, _ but there was a reason Ladybug wasn’t the only hero in Paris.

It was  _ especially _ difficult to fight while Ladybug worried about the safety of a certain blond supermodel in the vicinity. True to form, Marinette knew about Adrien’s photoshoot today, and had literally spat out her lunch upon seeing how close to him the akuma attack was.

“Take. This!” The akumatized villain yelled, grunting with effort as she chucked a massive limo straight at Ladybug’s head. She was only  _ barely _ able to avoid it with a jump, and looked around hastily to find some cover.

Ladybug was quickly disappointed by her options. They were in a central Paris park, with only a thin sprinkling of trees and other wildlife. Adrien and his bodyguard were hunkered down with the rest of his modelling team off to the left, and Ladybug couldn’t risk bringing the villain back over there. To her right was a small fountain that  _ might _ provide at least a little bit of shelter.

It would have to do, at least until backup arrived.

“Where do you think  _ you’re _ going?” The akumatized villain laughed as Ladybug landed gracefully on the other side of the flowing fountain.

This particular villain was downright  _ horrendous.  _ She was called ‘Ogress,’ and Hawkmoth had certainly made sure that she looked the part. Ogress had dark green flesh, covered in a variety of sores and other ailments, combined with a musky scent that Ladybug could still detect despite the distance between them.

“Waiting for your pet kitten to show up?” Ogress taunted, and Ladybug cried out in shock as the entire fountain exploded into rubble behind her. Ogress had clearly lobbed another vehicle, completely leveling the fountain. Ladybug was quickly buried underneath the rubble and gushing waters, and was too stunned to react.

“Ladybug!” Adrien’s voice was panicked, and Ogress turned to see the blond boy rushing out from his cover, standing defiantly against the supervillain with nothing but his bare hands.

_ “You.” _ Ogress spat, her eyes narrowing. Ladybug could feel her stomach rising as she momentarily filled with panic. Ogress had clearly been akumatized around Adrien’s photoshoot, meaning that there was a very real, very dangerous chance that Ogress would want revenge on Marinette’s crush. Why would anybody be mad at Adrien? Ladybug had no idea, but there was no time to figure it out, either.

“Leave her alone!” Adrien said defiantly, but he seemed unsure of himself. Adrien didn’t seem  _ scared,  _ necessarily, and seemed to be staring at his wrist, as though something on his hand had caught his attention.

Ladybug was completely floored, and halfway buried by all of the stone landing on top of her. Dust filled the air, coupled with a total  _ downpour _ of the fountain’s water supply. Various pieces of rubble proved to have different shapes, some of them  _ sharp. _ Ladybug felt more than one rough prick against her exposed face, accompanied by the feeling of a warm liquid flowing from the wounds as she crawled to her feet. Ogress’s attack had nearly been enough to knock her out completely.

...nearly enough.

“Adrien,  _ get down!”  _ Ladybug hollered, and grit her teeth as she assumed a more aggressive posture, “Lucky Charm!”

Needless to say, the villain didn’t last much longer once Ladybug managed to get her hands on a red and black spotted sledge hammer…

__________

“That was…  _ incredible!” _ Adrien’s voice was filled with awe, as the magic ladybugs swept across the park. The fountain was mended, as well as Ladybug’s still-injured face, causing her to breathe a sigh of momentary relief. It was a good feeling, actually, as Marinette realized that she was powerful enough to win the battle on her own strength. Chat Noir had never shown up, which was unfortunate, but it had all worked out in the end.

Her relief was short-lived, however, as Ladybug realized that Adrien was staring at her with something near adoration.

“I- well that is, I didn’t mean for-” Ladybug’s voice cracked as she stammered through her explanation, and Marinette felt like she was slowly dying inside.

“I’d have died here if you hadn’t shown up.” Adrien said grimly, before looking back at his modelling crew, “We all would have, actually-”

The modelling crew was still reorganizing the shoot, some of the members clearly still cautious to emerge from their cover. Ladybug’s power had repaired all of their equipment, but some of it was still scattered about in the wrong places, which meant that Adrien probably still had a good couple of minutes before they needed him.

“All in a day’s work.” Ladybug said confidently, managing to swallow her nerves. After all, as flustered as Marinette might be in a situation like this,  _ Ladybug _ wouldn’t let talking to a boy faze her. Even an  _ extremely _ attractive boy that was all dolled up for a summer photoshoot. A boy that had stepped into the battle to help her…

“That was really dangerous.” Ladybug scolded her crush, fully channeling her heroic persona, “I appreciate that things looked bad, but innocent civilians getting involved only makes things worse-”

“Chat Noir wasn’t here.” Adrien interrupted, and made a show of looking around, “Still isn’t, actually. I was worried about you…”

“Well, that’s very sweet of you.” Ladybug hesitated, trying to sort her emotions. After all, it wasn’t every day that Adrien expressed such an interest in her well-being, as dangerous as it was, “But I handled it, didn’t I? I’d never forgive myself if-”

“What… what happened?” The akumatized girl stirred, catching Ladybug off guard for a moment.

The girl was perhaps a year younger than Marinette and Adrien, with short brown hair and large-framed glasses. Like every akumatized victim, she looked to be completely disoriented, and Ladybug silently cursed herself for letting Adrien distract her from her duty. It was important to take care of the victim in these situations, after all.

“It’s all over now.” Ladybug leaned forwards, putting a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder, “Can you tell me your name?”   
  


“...Amelia.” The girl said after a pause, as though just remembering that this particular name belonged to her.

“Do you know what happened?” Adrien asked, kneeling down next to her, and Ladybug felt her heart flutter just the slightest bit at his concern.

The girl,  _ Amelia, _ was still groggy for a few more moments, but quickly explained to the two of them that she’d been preparing a birthday party here in the park for her elderly grandmother, when Adrien’s camera crew had taken over the picnic area without asking. Apparently, one of the crew members had gone so far as to insult Amelia’s weight, which explained the villain’s hideous appearance.

It also explained why Ogress had been so keen on attacking Adrien, a detail that had been bothering Ladybug for a while now.

“I didn’t know.” Adrien said quietly, “I’m really sorry this happened to you-”

“You could make it up to me.” Amelia said hastily, and fumbled for her bag, stunning both Ladybug and Adrien by whipping out a gigantic poster of the blond supermodel, “I’m a huge- well, that is- I mean, my friend is actually a huge fan, and maybe you could sign this poster of hers… that I have with me, for some reason?”

Ladybug suppressed a sigh, as Adrien graciously signed the girl’s poster without a second thought. Amelia let out a fangirl’s squeal as she thanked Adrien, and quickly snatched her bag up and left without another word for either of them, presumably to rejoin her grandmother’s party. Meaning that just as quickly as the Ogress had appeared, she left, finally leaving Ladybug alone with her crush again.

“What about you? Need any of your Adrien merchandise signed?” Adrien asked with a slight smirk, and Ladybug’s eyes widened for a second.

“Oh… must have left it all at home.” Ladybug said with a nervous laugh, after deciding that he must’ve been joking.

“Well, maybe next time.” Adrien said, and laughed along with her, “Seriously though, I should be the excited fan after what you did today. You saved me… again, actually.”

His emerald eyes held a certain genuity that made Marinette’s heart flutter. Being a superheroine wasn’t always fun, and Ladybug somewhat hated having a crowd dote on her, but a gracious Adrien was something she could get used to. Ladybug had run into her crush a few times before while in costume, like the time she’d battled Simon Says, but they rarely got the chance to talk afterwards. It was…  _ nice. _

“Please. It wasn’t a big deal.” Ladybug waved a dismissive hand, trying to look as confident as possible, “I’m just glad that you’re-”

A harsh beeping from Ladybug’s earrings cut her off, and both of them let out identical sighs of disappointment. She probably had two minutes, maybe three, before her transformation wore off. And there was no doubt about it: Adrien couldn’t be around when that happened, as much as Marinette would love to see him.

“Sorry…” Ladybug sighed apologetically, “Sounds like I’ve gotta bug out.”

“I mean, we’ll see each other tonight at least.” Adrien said with another warm smile, and Ladybug blinked.

“Wait… we will?” Ladybug asked, and Adrien’s eyes widened.

“I mean- uh…” Adrien squirmed, and he immediately blushed under the scrutiny “You’re right, that’s dumb. Why would we see each other? I mean, I’m not somebody you would spend time with…”

He continued rambling, and Ladybug could only stare dumbly. Adrien had sounded so…  _ genuine _ with his words, as though he was truly hoping to spend time with her tonight. And why was he blushing now?

“Hold up, hold up.” Ladybug waved her hands, and stared at the boy in disbelief, “Are you…  _ asking me out!?” _

It was a moment that Marinette had fantasized about for almost an entire year now, when Adrien finally admitted that he too wanted to take their friendship to the next level. Marinette had imagined countless different scenarios, tried  _ way _ too many different ideas to win his affection, all to no avail. For it to happen now, without any provocation was… well, it was almost unbelievable. To make matters even weirder, Marinette  _ never _ would’ve thought she’d be in costume for it.

“No!” Adrien said hastily, and Ladybug’s heart began to sink, “I mean-  _ yes?” _

The two teenagers stared at each other, both completely red in face. Neither of them had  _ any _ idea what to say, as the situation had reached a point of total awkwardness. Ladybug’s gut instinct was to agree  _ immediately, _ and probably yoyo them off to somewhere more private, but the responsible side of her brain made her hesitate.

“Probably not though, right?” Adrien asked, looking down at his shoes, “You’re a superhero, and I’m a civilian, so…”

It would have been so easy. Adrien just handed her an excuse, and all she had to do was agree to put the whole situation behind them. Ladybug could practically hear Tikki  _ screaming _ in her ear, demanding that she agree with Adrien, and get out of there before she did something regrettable. After all, Adrien was  _ absolutely _ right. As much as she fancied him, nothing good would come of seeing Adrien while she was in costume. Not for her, and  _ definitely _ not for him.

But as easy as it would’ve been to opt out… Ladybug’s mind went into autopilot.

“So what?” Ladybug reached out, putting a soft hand on his chin, prompting him to look her in the eyes, “I don’t see a reason for that to stop us.”

“Well, I mean-  _ ah!” _ Adrien was unable to finish his sentence, as Ladybug attempted to cut him off with a quick kiss on the cheek. However, in classic Marinette fashion, she didn’t anticipate Adrien flinching in surprise, causing her to miss, so her lips instead wrapped around the tip of his nose for a brief second. Ladybug’s eyes widened in horror, as Adrien instinctively rubbed his nose in confusion. He froze, and his cheeks reddened even further, as he realized what had just happened.

“So uh… call me?” Ladybug managed to squeak, and practically  _ died _ inside as she realized that Adrien had  _ absolutely _ no way of contacting her. It was a detail that must’ve escaped Adrien, however, because the awestruck boy could only nod in response.

Another beep from her earrings was enough to startle both of them back into focus. Rather than enduring any more of the humiliation, Ladybug decided to give her crush one last sheepish smile before flinging her yoyo at the nearest building and swinging away.

What had she gotten herself into?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kwamis try to warn them... spoiler: it doesn't work.

The rest of the photoshoot was a blur, with Adrien’s body acting on autopilot the entire time. He was lucky that the team was still rattled from the akuma attack, because there was no way they would let his performance slide otherwise. Adrien certainly had a lot of experience modelling, and his performance was still passable, but his disinterest was obvious to anybody paying even the slightest bit of attention. His father would _definitely_ have something to say about it later, but Adrien couldn’t bring himself to care.

After all, it would take a _lot_ more than a lecture to ruin today. Somehow, his slip of the tongue while talking to Ladybug had scored him a date… and a kiss, as sloppy as it was.

“Adrien.” Nathalie’s voice was as robotic as usual, “It’s time to go.”

“Yes, of course.” Adrien agreed, but didn’t even look at her as he climbed into the back of the car.

How was this actually going to play out? Adrien found himself stumped as he stared out at the setting sun. Sure, Ladybug had agreed to see him again, and Adrien was _ecstatic,_ but the realistic part of his mind quickly realized that this had an _extremely_ low chance of actually working. Ladybug couldn’t reveal her identity to Chat Noir, and _definitely_ couldn’t tell Adrien. And building a relationship with a girl whose name he didn’t know would certainly be a challenge. 

This was of course assuming Ladybug actually meant what she said. It was entirely possible that she’d agreed without thinking it through, or that her kwami… _Tikki,_ forbade them from seeing each other. Adrien dealt with constant attacks from Hawkmoth as Chat Noir, and the last thing he needed was for that to reach his personal life as well.

“Well, well, well…” Plagg said, as soon as Adrien shut the door to his room, “Looks like somebody finally got that date with Ladybug he’s been begging for since forever.”

“Yeah, looks like it.” Adrien nodded, still distracted as he sat down on the side of his bed.

“If only things went that well when you were Chat Noir.” Plagg said with a laugh, as he helped himself to a piece of his favorite cheese, “She practically _flew_ into your arms once you dropped the cat puns, didn’t she?”

It really was strange, wasn’t it? Chat Noir had tried to win Ladybug’s affections since the day they’d met, without any success. As Adrien, he’d only met Ladybug on a handful of occasions, with little opportunity to actually _talk._ They’d chatted about his mother on the day Simon Says attacked, but that was about it. It really didn’t make any sense that she would agree to a date with him, as fantastic as it was.

“Wait… are you actually okay with this?” Adrien asked in disbelief, finally looking at his companion, “I was sure-”

“-sure that I’d try and stop you?” Plagg scoffed, “Oh _please._ I’ve watched you waste away, grovelling after Tikki’s girl for _way_ too long to tell you no.”

“I do _not_ grovel." Adrien argued, and Plagg rolled his eyes.

“Unimportant.” Plagg dismissed, and landed on Adrien’s knee to give him a more serious look, “I know this is something you want. And the decision isn’t mine to make, anyway.”

Adrien was at a loss of words for a moment, caught off guard both by Plagg’s suddenly serious tone. Adrien had gotten to know Plagg fairly well during his time as Chat Noir, but the kwami still managed to surprise him sometimes. Plagg pretended to be apathetic, and loved to be mischievous, but Adrien had been _sure_ that he’d shut down this idea before it could even get off the ground. After all, there were some rules even Plagg followed.

“I mean, this has _definitely_ got to be breaking some kind of rule-”

“Nah.” Plagg reverted back to his usual tone, and waved a dismissive tone, “The master would’ve had to imagine a situation as ridiculous as this one in order to ban it, so I think we’re good.”

“Isn’t this kind of lying to Ladybug?” Adrien worried aloud, “I mean… I’m hiding the fact that I’m actually her partner-”

“And she’s hiding her own secret identity.” Plagg said, “I don’t see the difference.”

“The difference is that I _know_ she has a secret.” Adrien countered, “She’ll have no idea that I’m living a double life as the guy she’s turned down _twice-”_

“Then don’t do it.” Plagg shrugged, “Try and win her over as Chat Noir again. Or if that fails… maybe find somebody else.”

“Be serious, Plagg.” Adrien scolded, and his kwami sighed.

It felt dirty. Adrien really wanted to be with Ladybug, but was this really the best way to go about it? Ladybug had rejected Chat Noir twice, and made it clear that her heart was set on another guy. To date her as Adrien without revealing himself wasn’t any more of a lie than his usual identity shenanigans, but it still felt… _shady._ It felt like he was manipulating her. And as much as Adrien wanted this, the thought of hurting his lady was just too painful.

“Well, I’ll promise you one thing.” Plagg said after a long pause, “I’m fine with all this, if that’s what you want to do, but Ladybug’s going to have a _bit_ of a harder time making her case to Tikki…”

__________

“Absolutely _not.”_ Tikki said, staring at Marinette like she’d sprouted a second head.

“Come on, Tikki…” Marinette pleaded with her kwami, “You _know_ this is something I’ve been wanting since forever-”

“And yet, his safety is still more important.” Tikki shook her head, and crossed her arms on her chest. In spite of her frustration, Marinette had to admit that it was still adorable.

Marinette was standing on her balcony, facing away from the sunset. She had detransformed roughly a minute ago, and had spent most of time since then trying to convince Tikki that dating Adrien as her superheroine self was a good idea. And as much as Tikki cared about Marinette, it was like arguing with a brick wall… or her mother.

She still had to try.

“Besides, this is still a bad idea even if we ignore the danger.” Tikki lectured, “Do you _really_ think it’s a good idea to use your ultimate power of creation to date a supermodel!?”

“You’re oversimplifying it.” Marinette was indignant, but allowed herself a slightly smug smile as she recalled exactly what had happened, “Maybe you didn’t notice, but Adrien was the one to ask me out, actually.”

“And it took all of thirty seconds for you to start sucking on his nose-”

“Oh, shut it.” Marinette’s cheeks reddened, “You _know_ that was an accident.”

As embarrassingly as she’d acted in front of him, Ladybug was still better put together than Marinette would’ve been. Perhaps even more surprising, however, was the way that Adrien seemed just as flustered by her. He’d struggled to put sentences together, and his blush had been as deep as hers. It was a weird feeling, seeing her crush as the one overwhelmed by _her,_ as opposed to the other way around.

It was weird… and Marinette already _loved_ it.

“Whatever.” Tikki said, shaking her head in disdain, “The social side of it… that’s your business. What are you going to do when Hawkmoth learns that _Ladybug’s boyfriend_ is a thing that exists and can be used against her?”

“We wouldn’t make it _public.”_ Marinette said, somewhat indignantly, “Hawkmoth would have no way of knowing.”

“That’s a risk you’re willing to take?”

Hawkmoth and Mayura were a serious threat, without a doubt. But in her time as Ladybug, Marinette had been forced to protect countless civilians, including Adrien. Even if Hawkmoth learned about their relationship, and tried to target Adrien specifically, Ladybug and Chat Noir were _definitely_ up to the task of keeping him safe.

“Only because I _know_ I can protect Adrien.” Marinette said confidently, “I would _never_ forgive myself if something happened to him because of me.”

“And that’s the problem, isn’t it?” Tikki said grimly, as she floated above one of the balcony chairs, “No matter what happens… Ladybug _has_ to keep those earrings safe from Hawkmoth, no matter what it means for Adrien.”

“What are you getting at?” Marinette’s eyes narrowed.

“I think this is a _terrible_ idea.” Tikki’s words were hostile, but her voice was surprisingly soft, “But if that’s what you want to do, and your mind is made up… well, we both know I can’t stop you. There’s just one thing that I’m going to need you to _swear.”_

Not quite sure what her kwami meant, Marinette sank into one of the balcony seats. The sun was almost finished setting, and the top of the bakery was quickly becoming cloaked in darkness. Tikki floated in shadow now, adding a more sinister feeling to their conversation that Marinette couldn’t help but feel slightly unnerved by.

“I’m listening…” Marinette said, not sure she wanted to hear the response.

“Swear to me.” Tikki said grimly, “If Hawkmoth puts you on the spot… if he makes you choose between your earrings and your love-”

“It won’t come to that.” Marinette interrupted, as she realized where Tikki was going, “Tikki, even if Hawkmoth learns about Adrien and then targets him, I’ll find a way to come out on top. Ladybug _always_ finds a way. Especially with Chat Noir’s help, we’ll keep Adrien safe. That’s what I’ll _swear.”_

Tikki’s expression was worried at first, but became cryptic as soon as Marinette mentioned Chat Noir. Marinette waited for her kwami’s response, but Tikki simply stared back at her, as though she was unsure of exactly which words to use. It was unusual for Tikki, a creature that always seemed so _wise._ Marinette opened her mouth to continue, when Tikki finally spoke up.

“With Chat Noir’s help, huh?” Tikki asked with an ironic note in her voice, as though she knew something Marinette didn’t.

“Well, of course.” Marinette said slowly, unsure of what Tikki found strange about that, “I mean, I know he won’t be happy that I have a boyfriend, but I’m sure he’ll still help. I’d do the same for him, if he started seeing somebody.”

“I know you would.” Tikki said softly, and turned away again, “Well… if you’re certain this is a good idea, I won’t stop you. Just remember that your actions have consequences. Not just for you, but for the people around you. You should talk to Adrien as soon as possible… make sure he understands what he’s getting himself into. You might wanna consider talking to Chat Noir too, if you’re asking for his help.”

“I will.” Marinette nodded solemnly, “Talk to both of them, that is.”

“Then give me a moment to recharge.” Tikki said, and a bit of humor returned to her voice, “Think your father has any fresh macarons right now?”

__________

A knock at his window was enough to startle Adrien, causing him to almost drop his phone in confusion.

“Psss, _Adrien!”_ A feminine voice called, and Adrien’s eyes widened as he saw Ladybug perched atop one of the window frames.

_What was she doing here?_ Adrien briefly panicked, realizing that he wasn’t prepared for this conversation, mentally or physically. Plagg’s cheese stash was still open off to his left, and he just had to pray that Ladybug hadn’t spotted the black cat kwami floating around.

Adrien glanced around the room as he walked towards the window, relieved to see that Plagg seemed to have been wise enough to make himself scarce. He snatched the room’s master remote off of his couch, and quickly opened a way for his lady to drop in. Even though Adrien was only seven when it was installed, he had still found the amount of gadgets and gizmos in his room to be _ridiculous,_ and completely unnecessary.

Ladybug lowered herself through the now-open window, dropping down onto the floor of what Nino had dubbed the “stadium sized” bedroom. Adrien opened his mouth to address her, hopefully about to say something witty, but instead found himself speechless. _Was this really happening?_

“Hi.” Ladybug said with a shy wave, and let out a soft giggle when she looked at his hanging jaw, “You okay there?”

_“Oh-_ yeah, I’m just-” Adrien faltered, desperately searching his mind for the Chat Noir persona, only to come up empty-handed.

“-Enjoying the view?” Ladybug teased, but her cheeks immediately flushed, “Sorry, that was too much, right? I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay!” Adrien interrupted, far more loudly than he’d intended, “Do you want a seat? I have a… couch?”

She nodded hastily, and the two teenagers awkwardly sat down at opposite ends of Adrien’s bedroom couch, both staring at their knees in embarrassment. Adrien felt _naked_ without his Chat Noir costume, and he could’ve sworn that he heard Plagg cackling at him from the balcony above. He’d talked to Ladybug countless times before, but doing it as Adrien was somehow exponentially more difficult.

“So…” Adrien tried, daunted by the silence between them, “Are you feeling okay? You fought a giant monster today-”

“Oh _please.”_ Ladybug snorted, her shyness vanishing the moment Adrien mentioned the fight, “Ogress was _nothing_ compared to some of the villains Chat Noir and I have fought.”

“Yeah, you guys make a pretty good team.” Adrien said, smiling at the mention of his alter-ego.

“We really do.” Ladybug nodded in agreement, but seemed distracted now.

His heart rate picked up for a second, thrilled to hear Ladybug say anything positive regarding Chat Noir, even if it was brief. There was so much he wanted to ask her: did she think he was cool? Were his jokes funny? Even though she’d made it clear that they were just friends, was there any chance she harbored feelings for him?

But Adrien restrained himself. After all, it would be pretty self-indulgent to spend the entire evening talking about his alter-ego, _especially_ when Adrien should theoretically be viewing him as a rival for Ladybug’s affection.

“Listen…” Ladybug said, clearly choosing her words carefully, “Did you really mean to ask me out today? I mean, you haven’t told me to ‘get lost’ or anything, so I guess-”

“I meant it.” Adrien interrupted softly, “Did you?”

That question, soft-spoken though it may have been, was enough to cloak Adrien’s bedroom in silence for what must’ve been at least half a minute. During that time, Ladybug returned to staring at her knees, and Adrien quickly followed suit. The room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, meaning that even Plagg must’ve been joining in on the teenagers’ awkward silence. Adrien felt his heart sink, as he decided that Ladybug must be about to reject him.

It was probably for the best. After all, the ethics of dating his partner as his civilian self were questionable at best, and it opened a whole new can of worms with keeping it secret to begin with. Not only that-

“Adrien…” Ladybug said softly, and the boy was startled to realize that Ladybug had scooted _much_ closer to him on the couch.

“Ladybug?”

_“Yeah.”_ Ladybug said, surprisingly blunt, “I meant it. And I meant to kiss you, too.”

Her voice was quiet, but the words were deafening nonetheless. Adrien’s heart immediately started racing, and he nearly pinched himself to make sure that this wasn’t a dream. 

It had to be, didn’t it? Ladybug wouldn’t just drop into his room in the middle of the night, and profess to like him back. This was a strange, hallucinogenic fantasy of his, probably induced by living in such close range to Plagg’s stinky cheeses. When he got his hands on that kwami-

Adrien’s rogue train of thought was interrupted by Ladybug softly taking his hand in her own, gently caressing it. By reflex, he looked her in the eyes, and realized that she was now sitting less than a foot away, staring right back at him. Her eyes were a vibrant blue, and Adrien was surprised to see his own lack of confidence reflected in them, despite her assertive move.

“So…” Ladybug said quietly, and gently pulled away from Adrien so she could stand up. “I think we need to talk.”

__________

Ladybug took a deep breath, calming herself before continuing. Grabbing Adrien’s hand, or even moving that close to him, was something that Marinette would have only _dreamed_ of. But as Ladybug, she was able to romance Adrien with relative ease. It was easy to the point of frustration, and the girl was left wondering how far Marinette could’ve gotten with _half_ of Ladybug’s confidence.

“What do you mean?” Adrien asked, and his voice was barely a whisper.

“I mean this is _serious_ business.” Ladybug said, and cringed at how abrasive that sounded.

Adrien shifted, somewhat uncomfortably, and leaned forwards a bit. He was still seated on his couch, and Ladybug was standing a couple feet in front of him, unsure of exactly how to word what she needed to say. And instead of thinking about it, Ladybug found herself staring at her crush’s hand again, wondering if it would be weird to hold it while she was still standing? Probably.

“I like you, Adrien…” Ladybug said finally, “And if you- I mean if _we_ start um…”

“...start dating?” Adrien supplied, and Ladybug flushed.

“Yes, that.” Ladybug agreed hastily, grateful that he finished her sentence before she said something regrettable.

“I know it might be difficult...” Adrien said earnestly, and stood up to reach her eye level, “We haven’t spent much time together yet.” He beamed, “But I’m sure that once we get to know one another, and we figure out what-”

“That’s not what I mean.” Ladybug interrupted with a confidence that would’ve caused Marinette to faint on the spot, “I _know_ that I want this!” She smiled fondly, but her expression quickly darkened as she remembered the original reason for her warning, “I’m just worried about something more… physical.”

“Oh.” The color briefly drained from Adrien’s face, “You mean-”

“-Hawkmoth.” She supplied, _“Yeah.”_

The two of them fell into another awkward silence, as the weight of naming Ladybug’s greatest enemy filled the room. Hawkmoth was a coward, to be sure (after all, he _always_ chose to fight with proxies instead of facing his enemies himself), but he was a real threat nonetheless. He’d proven himself to be fairly cunning on more than one occasion, and was _definitely_ ruthless enough to use Ladybug’s feelings for Adrien against her.

Ladybug was reminded of a time, not so long ago, when Lila Rossi (Volpina at the time) had used Adrien against her. If Chat Noir hadn’t been there, and called out the illusion for what it was, Marinette would have handed over her earrings then and there. It had been enough to give Ladybug nightmares for _months,_ nightmares that would almost certainly return if she started seeing Adrien.

“It’ll be risky… d-dating me, that is.” Ladybug finally said, and Adrien gave her a somewhat cryptic expression, “But I _swear_ that I will do _everything_ in my power to keep you safe- me and Chat Noir will both do that!”

Ladybug immediately worried that she’d scared him off. After all, what sane person would agree to take such a risk? Even if they _thought_ that their relationship was a secret, Adrien would still be forced to peer suspiciously around every corner, and look over his shoulder everytime he was walking home. Ladybug and Chat Noir would keep an eye on him, to be sure, but that was far from a guarantee of safety.

Besides, he had a point: they didn’t really know each other that well. Sure, _Marinette_ knew Adrien, but Ladybug didn’t! He had no reason to put everything on the line for some girl that he’d only met a handful of times…

Rather than answering, however, Adrien simply gave her an affectionate smile. Ladybug opened her mouth to say… _something,_ when her crush suddenly closed the distance between them, putting a soft hand on the side of her face. With the other, he gently grabbed her bicep, pulling her slightly closer. Then, in a move that would’ve made Marinette _faint,_ Adrien leaned forwards, leaving his face a mere inches from hers.

“I know it’ll be risky.” Adrien said, his voice less than a whisper, “But it’s a risk I’m willing to take if it means I’m with you.”

Before Ladybug could protest, and remind him that she wasn’t worth that kind of danger, Adrien moved again, this time planting a soft kiss on her lips… and Marinette’s entire world stopped for a moment. 

She was still in costume, but Ladybug’s confident professionalism vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving a blushing, awestruck Marinette. If it wasn’t for Adrien’s hands on her arm and face, there was a very real chance that Marinette would’ve simply collapsed on the spot. She had imagined a wide range of possibilities for this night, but she hadn’t ever realistically thought that things would turn out like _this..._

The kiss probably wasn’t that great by objective standards, certainly a bit hasty, but it was still more than Marinette could’ve ever asked for. And as Adrien pulled away, she found herself already saddened that it was over.

“Sorry…” Adrien said sheepishly, his cheeks having turned a bright red, “That was too quick, I know. I should’ve asked-”

But Marinette wouldn’t let that stand. In an act of pure instinct, Ladybug rushed forwards, a predatory glint in her eyes as she grabbed her prey with superhuman strength and forced his lips back onto hers. Adrien’s eyes widened in shock as his lover’s tongue jammed its way into his mouth without compromise, but he accepted it nonetheless.

Adrien tried to stay on his feet, but was powerless to stop Ladybug’s advance. The two of them fell, crashing Adrien-first into the couch they’d been having a calm conversation on mere moments before. Any and all thoughts of Hawkmoth vanished faster than a snow cone at the gates of Hell, as Ladybug landed on top of her prey. She grabbed both sides of his face as she crushed her lips against his, not wanting the moment to end.

“Wait… hold up…” Adrien panted, completely red in the face as Ladybug was finally forced to break contact and catch her breath, “What… what are we-”

“Uhh…” Ladybug’s face became just as red as Adrien’s as she fully processed what had just happened. 

He was currently flat on the couch, _forced_ there in the heat of the moment, with Ladybug holding him down. She’d planted one knee on either side of his torso, and her supernatural strength virtually guaranteed him no chance of escape from her lustful advance. And as _badass_ as Ladybug had felt in the moment, her excitement quickly melted into sheer _embarrassment_ as she realized how unsolicited this move was.

“I’m sorry!” Ladybug exclaimed, jumping off of Adrien and burying her face in her hands in one swift motion. This was some kind of sick joke… he probably thought that she was some kind of _freak_ now. Adrien was clearly interested in her, and she’d _blown_ it! There was no way that Marinette could ever look him in the eye again, and _certainly_ not Ladybug-

“No no, I’m sorry!” Adrien exclaimed, and Ladybug could hear him stumbling back to his feet, “I kissed you first! I just- well, I mean-”

“It was awful, wasn’t it?” Ladybug said, lapsing into a Marinette-esque panic, “You gave me a kiss on the lips, probably just as a friend-”

“Uhh, what?”

“-and then I tackled you onto your own couch and aggressively made out with you!” She cringed even further, “I’m so sorry!”

Ladybug considered making a run for Adrien’s still-open window, the boy placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look him in the eyes. And much to her surprise, Adrien’s expression contained nothing resembling disgust or anger… instead, Adrien’s cheeks still had a light blush, and the corners of his lips were turned up in a slight smirk.

“Ladybug…” Adrien said, “Don’t _ever_ apologize for kissing me.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Adrien meet again- this time with just a *touch* more angst

“You look like you had a good night.” Nino’s voice was simultaneously teasing and interrogative as he examined his friend, and Adrien smirked deviously.

“Good doesn’t even begin to cover it.” Adrien laughed, and Nino arched an eyebrow.

“What? Am I unbanned from your house or something?” Nino joked, as both boys took a seat in the front row.

Marinette, seated right behind them as always, immediately shifted towards the edge of her seat as she listened in on their conversation. She certainly wasn’t proud to be eavesdropping on him, but she just couldn’t help herself- he was  _ right there, _ and she had to hear more about what he thought of their rendezvous last night.

So far, she was encouraged by what she saw and heard. Nino was right- Adrien had an infectious grin as he entered the classroom, and Marinette somehow doubted anything else had happened last night to trigger this sort of a response. At least… something else  _ better _ not have happened.

“You’re funny.” Adrien snickered, and looked slightly nervous, “Um, it’s something I actually can’t talk about here… maybe during lunch break?”

Nino looked slightly concerned, “Mysterious…”

“I promise it’s good though!” Adrien reassured him, “I’d just… rather not say it here.”

Marinette paused, wondering if she was okay with him telling Nino. On the one hand, she  _ wanted _ everybody to know that Ladybug was dating Adrien Agreste. She didn’t want their relationship buried behind secrets and subterfuge-  _ especially _ not when Adrien was such a heartthrob (Adrien had  _ insisted _ that Ladybug was the same, but she  _ vehemently _ denied it). It was a petty motivation, but Marinette couldn’t help but smirk slightly as she pictured Chloe’s reaction to learning that Adrien had a girlfriend.

But what Marinette wanted and what Ladybug  _ needed _ were far from the same thing. She had promised Tikki that they would keep this under wraps, and telling  _ anybody _ put that at risk- even somebody as trustworthy as Nino.

Adrien seemed to have some similar concerns that night, when Ladybug dropped in that evening for another visit.

“Don’t worry- I didn’t tell him that it was  _ you.” _ Adrien explained, studying her expression nervously as he paced about the room, “I told him that I’m seeing somebody now, but that was it!” He shifted uncomfortably, “Of course, I had to swear him to secrecy on that too, because my father will probably ground me until the end of time if he learns about you-”

“It’s okay.” Ladybug soothed, slightly amused by his panic, “I remember Nino- he seems like a trustworthy guy.” She smiled as he seemed to relax, “But more importantly, I trust  _ you, _ Adrien. I trust you to be careful, and make sure that none of this gets out.”

“Oh…” Adrien said, breathing out slightly, “That’s- thank you, Ladybug. I trust you, too.”

“I should hope so.” Ladybug teased, rustling his hair slightly in a move that might’ve thrown Marinette into neurogenic shock, “But… would your father really be that upset?”

Adrien winced, “I mean… probably? Considering how he reacts to my regular friends, I can’t even begin to imagine what he’d say.”

Adrien’s discomfort seemed to return at the mention of Gabriel Agreste, and Ladybug immediately felt bad for bringing it up. Adrien was cautious with the topic at school- it was only through her time as Ladybug that she saw how shaky their relationship was. Mr. Agreste had been…  _ dismissive _ of his son’s emotions the day that Simon Says attacked, an incident that still bothered her to this day.

Perhaps even more concerning, however, was the  _ harsh _ punishments Gabriel dished out for disobedience. When Adrien had ‘lost’ the Miraculous spellbook, Gabriel had pulled the boy out of school until Marinette returned it.

“I’m… sorry to hear that.” Ladybug said awkwardly, completely unsure of how to respond.

“Don’t be.” Adrien said wryly, forcing a half-smile, “I promise I won’t kill the mood with my daddy issues.”

Ladybug immediately frowned, “Talking about something that upsets you isn’t ‘killing the mood,’ Adrien.” She hesitated, unsure of how hard she should probe, “I don’t want you to think that there’s anything you’re not allowed to tell me…”

“Hm.” Adrien said, refusing to make eye contact as he continued to pace, “I appreciate that, Ladybug.”

The way he said it made it sound like he really didn’t appreciate it- at the very least, he had no plans of taking her up on that offer. Ladybug shifted awkwardly from her position on his couch, mulling over whether or not she should let the topic drop. On the one hand, was it  _ really  _ any of her business? Probably not…

But on the other hand, Adrien was clearly upset by the whole situation. Ladybug wanted to help him, but she really wasn’t sure how.

“What about you, Ladybug?” Adrien asked, smirking slightly, “I can’t be the only one having trouble keeping this a secret…”

“My best friend.” Ladybug admitted sheepishly, “I haven’t told her anything yet, but she seemed to notice that something was off about me.”

Unlike Adrien, Marinette couldn’t even slightly explain the situation to Alya. Even if she didn’t use names, her and Adrien  _ both _ getting significant others at the same time was bound to create some suspicion-  _ especially _ since she talked to Nino so much. Adrien may have sworn the boy to secrecy, but there was basically no chance that Alya didn’t end up hearing about it soon.

“I guess you’re better at this than I am.” Adrien laughed, “It didn’t even take ten minutes for Nino to confront me.”

“Well, I guess I have a bit more practice at keeping secrets.” Ladybug smiled, and an odd look came across Adrien’s face.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He said, and coughed, “Guess I’ll have to get better at that.”

The two fell into a slightly awkward silence- Ladybug still sitting on the couch, while Adrien paced nervously in front of her. He looked unsure if he should join her, and Ladybug honestly wasn’t sure her heart could handle it either, considering the way things had gone last time they sat there together-

“I’ve got an idea!” Ladybug exclaimed as she rose to her feet, eager to suppress…  _ those _ thoughts from her mind, “Do you want to learn what the view is like from the very top of the Eiffel Tower?”

__________

“Somebody had a fun night…” Plagg’s voice was right next to Adrien’s ear, immediately waking him up. The kwami began to cackle when he saw that Adrien was moving, “Rise and shine, loverboy!”

Adrien looked around in confusion when he realized that he wasn’t lying on his bed. This was still still Adrien’s bedroom, he could tell that much, but he seemed to be lying on… his couch? One of his windows was still open, and there was a faint odor that he couldn’t immediately identify. He was still wearing his clothes from yesterday, and the sun was shining  _ directly _ on Adrien’s face, leading him to briefly wonder why it had taken him this long to wake up.

The most strange thing, however, was how everything felt…  _ crusty? _ Adrien blinked, as he realized that the strange smell was coming from him, and the clothes he was still wearing.

“What are you talking about?” Adrien mumbled in response to Plagg, rubbing his eyes as he sat up, “And why does it smell like-  _ oh.” _

The events from last night came rushing back to him in a flash. Ladybug, the Eiffel Tower, an awkward conversation, and… the  _ river? _

“Man… I’m going to be telling this story for  _ centuries!” _ Plagg said, cackling as he flew around above Adrien’s head, “Just wait till Trixx hears that Ladybug  _ dropped you in the river!” _

__________

“Do you like it?” Ladybug asked anxiously, and Adrien fortunately nodded right away.

“It’s beautiful…” Adrien said, gazing out at the city’s nightlife, and Ladybug was both surprised and impressed at how little her date seemed to mind standing on top of the Eiffel Tower.

“I’m glad you like it.” Ladybug said earnestly.

“Well, it’s not the  _ most _ impressive sight this city has to offer.” Adrien said, turning to face Ladybug with a confident smile. And as corny as the line was, Ladybug was embarrassed to realize that her heart had picked up nonetheless.

“You sound like Chat Noir.” Ladybug dismissed with a giggle, turning away to hide her blush. She internally cringed, however, as she realized that bringing up Chat Noir’s flirting would  _ definitely _ make things uncomfortable.

“Oh… I do?” Adrien asked, arching an eyebrow in what Ladybug could’ve sworn was  _ worry. _

“Maybe a bit.” Ladybug said awkwardly, but quickly reassured him: “Don’t worry though, you’re  _ much _ smoother than Chat Noir.”

The two blond boys had some in common, for sure, but there was plenty more separating them in Ladybug’s mind. Chat Noir was playful, impulsive, and a bit cocky. Adrien, on the other hand, was clearly an introvert. He was humble, rejected most of the praise he received, and would always think before acting. The two boys had a similar sense of humor, and shared the same heart of gold, but that was about it.

In fact, Ladybug paused, wondering why Chat Noir remained on her mind. Maybe it was because they met on the Eiffel Tower sometimes?

“How is it? Working with Chat Noir, I mean.” Adrien asked, his face an enigma.

“Well, it’s never a bore, that’s for sure.” Ladybug laughed, and Adrien smiled slightly, “He gets on my nerves sometimes, but I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.” It sounded like a rehearsed answer, but Ladybug meant every word of it.

“I’m sure he feels the same.” Adrien said, almost wistfully, before his face turned serious again.

Adrien seemed to be deep in thought, as though he were mulling over whether or not he could get away with asking a particular question. And given the way their conversation was moving, Ladybug had a pretty solid guess as to what it might be. It wasn’t something she wanted to talk about… but it was unavoidable.

“Are you worried about him flirting with me?” Ladybug decided to approach the issue directly, before Adrien could say anything.

“Oh… well, kinda?” Adrien shifted uncomfortably, “If we’re actually going to be boyfriend and girlfriend-” Marinette’s heart fluttered, “-then I guess I should be? Maybe? Don’t worry, I trust you! I don’t wanna come off as jealous…”

Ladybug realized that she didn’t really have an immediate answer. On the one hand, she’d heard many times that jealousy in a relationship wasn’t healthy. On the other hand, however, Marinette realized that she might be even more bothered if Adrien  _ didn’t  _ care about another guy calling her ‘bugaboo’ on the regular.

“I’ll talk to him.” Ladybug quickly decided, but wondered how exactly that was going to work out,  _ especially _ since she was also going to be asking for his help in keeping Adrien safe.

“I’m sure he’ll understand.” Adrien nodded, but there was a ghost of a smile on his face.

Ladybug smiled wryly to herself. This was part of what had first intrigued Marinette about the blond supermodel… despite his bright smiles and caring actions, Adrien had a  _ mysterious _ element about him. He always seemed to know a little bit more than everybody else in the room, and got enough private enjoyment from it to please himself, so that he never actually showed his hand.

“I hope so.” Ladybug agreed, and winced as she glanced at the clock on her yoyo, “Oh,  _ shoot… _ it’s getting late.”

It was well past midnight, and Marinette had a fairly busy day planned for tomorrow. Not only was it a Monday, with a full day of school, but Ladybug planned on trying to call Chat Noir and talk to him. He’d probably only be able to come out at night, which would mean a second day in a row of staying up late.

“Heading back already?” Adrien asked, clearly disappointed, “We only just got here…”

“I know.” Ladybug sighed, “But it is a school night, and I’m already out later than I should be.”

She looked again at her now-boyfriend. It had been one hell of a day, and there was way Marinette could’ve  _ ever _ guessed how well it would turn out. Not only had she beaten an akumatized villain  _ alone, _ she’d won herself a date with Adrien. Not just a date, but an (admittedly brief) makeout session straight out of Marinette’s fantasy. Part of her was still certain that this would turn out to be some weird dream, but even if it was, she’d enjoyed it while it lasted.

“Come on.” Ladybug chuckled, and picked Adrien up princess-style before jumping off the Eiffel Tower, and into the sleeping city.

The two of them swung in near-silence for almost a minute, before Adrien finally spoke. Ladybug was flying directly above the Seine River, using the surrounding buildings to swing off of with her yoyo. It was hard to do while holding Adrien, but Ladybug was more than confident in her abilities.

“Listen,” Adrien said, clinging to Ladybug tightly as they swung from building to building, “If you’re going to be talking to Chat Noir, there’s probably a girl I need to talk to…”

“I’m inclined to think there’s more than one.” Ladybug said with a chuckle, but her mood soured nonetheless.

Between Lila, Chloe, and  _ especially _ Kagami, Marinette had faced more than enough opposition in her pursuit of Adrien. And while she certainly trusted Adrien… she’d like to see them all keep their hands to themselves, from here on out. Even though Ladybug couldn’t openly claim Adrien as her own, there still needed to be some boundaries. Especially in the case of Lila, who was always the manipulator.

Chloe and Kagami were both people that Marinette had come to respect, albeit in different ways, but Marinette still couldn’t help feeling just a  _ little _ smug about beating them as well.

“Trust me, there won’t be any problems.” Adrien laughed, a bit nervously.

“Just a few broken hearts, I’m sure.” Ladybug said smugly, and silently scolded herself for it, remembering how dejected she’d felt when Adrien went on a date with Kagami, “Chloe seems to like you a lot…”

“There’s only one I’m worried about, and it’s not her.” Adrien dismissed, “Chloe’s been my friend since  _ forever, _ and you’re the one person she won’t have a problem stepping aside for… assuming I can tell her about this?”

“Uh… I guess?” Ladybug blinked, “She helps out as Queen Bee, so that should be okay. I take it you’re worried about Kagami?” Ladybug cringed, as she realized that she shouldn’t know anything about Adrien’s fencing partner.

It did make the most sense though. While Adrien was clearly uncomfortable with all of the attention that Chloe and Lila gave him, this wasn’t the case with Kagami. Unlike the other two, Adrien actually seemed to take a bit of interest in Kagami, much to Marinette’s dismay. They had a shared interest in fencing, had gone a date together, and spent quite a bit of time as friends.

“Not particularly.” Adrien shook his head, surprising Ladybug, “Kagami is made of some pretty tough stuff… and views everything as a competition. I’m sure she’d be gracious in defeat.”

“Oh, then you don’t mean…  _ Lila!?” _

“Not even slightly.” Adrien’s face darkened at the mention of the Italian girl, “I was actually talking about somebody else.”

Ladybug frowned, not aware of anybody else that like Adrien. Sure, there were fangirls (and some fanboys), but nobody that Adrien actually  _ knew. _ Unless he had some other friends from other activities that Marinette didn’t know about, but it seemed unlikely. Adrien told Nino everything, and Nino told Alya everything, which meant that Marinette would’ve almost certainly heard about her across the grapevine by now. Unless Adrien meant-

“I think you’ve met her a few times, actually.” Adrien said, somewhat sadly, “But there’s this girl in my class that likes me, her name’s  _ Marinette-” _

Adrien was cut off when a shocked Ladybug lost her grip on the yoyo, causing both of them to plummet into the river below.

__________

“Personally, I like the smell of the river.” Plagg said, as soon as Adrien stepped out of his shower and began to  _ douse _ himself in deodorant.

“Of course you do.” Adrien said with a sigh, and shook his head, “Plagg… have you  _ ever _ known Ladybug to make a mistake like that?”

“Well, she did decide to date you-”

“I’m worried it was something I said.” Adrien ignored the jab, “I mean, I was in the middle of talking about Marinette. It seemed appropriate at the time, since she brought up Chat Noir, but…”

Ladybug had dropped her yoyo mid-swing, causing both of them to land in the river with a painful  _ splash. _ The water had been dark and murky, and despite the swim lessons he’d taken since a young age, Adrien had thought he was going to drown for a minute. Plagg wasn’t with him at the time, so he couldn’t even transform. Ladybug had quickly recovered, thankfully, and gotten them both out of there, but it was still unnerving.

Adrien still had no idea  _ why. _ She’d seemed uncomfortable talking about Chloe and Kagami, but everything still seemed okay until he mentioned Marinette.

“Mentioning the competition does tend to get a bad response with the ladies.” Plagg agreed, putting a thoughtful paw to his chin, “But I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose, if that’s what you mean.”

“I just hope I didn’t ruin things.” Adrien said, worry filling his voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Combining all of this into one chapter makes the flashback / timeskip weird imo, but the chapter would've been too short without it, so...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkwardness ensues

Marinette’s day at school wasn’t a  _ total disaster, _ but it was pretty close.

Things had started out fairly normally, all things considered, but quickly spiralled out of control. Alya had been willing to ignore Marinette’s strange behavior yesterday, but couldn’t let it slide when the girl seemed distracted yet again. Not only were the two of them best friends, but Alya was an aspiring  _ journalist, _ which meant that she detested being kept in the dark.

“All right, spill the beans.” Alya whispered, playfully at first, upon noticing Marinette stare blankly at Adrien’s back for a solid five minutes. They were supposed to be working on a worksheet as partners, and Marinette had been less than helpful so far.

“Huh?” Marinette blinked, snapping out of a daze before processing Alya’s words, “What do you mean? I’m totally cool- working on our assignment like normal! Uh… what was it again?” She scrambled to find her copy of the worksheet. It had been neglected since the moment it landed on her desk, but it still counted towards her grade anyways.

“Girl, you need to drop the act.” Alya shook her head, smiling in amusement as she gestured at Adrien in front of them, “You always look at him like he’s a gift to womankind, but it usually doesn’t stop you from helping me out, does it?”

“I’m sorry.” Marinette sighed, and finally looked at the paper, even though her mind was elsewhere.

Adrien  _ knew. _ Marinette had always been uncomfortable around her crush- now Ladybug’s boyfriend- but now it was going to be even  _ worse. _ Without her Ladybug transformation, Marinette would continue to stutter like a fool in his presence, further stunted by the realization that Adrien knew  _ why _ she was acting that way.

On some level, Marinette felt betrayed. A rejection from Adrien would’ve devastated her, for  _ certain,  _ but she almost wished he would’ve said something anyways. She couldn’t get  _ that _ mad at him, because she hadn’t had the courage to confess her feelings, but it still stung. It made all of the awkward memories of trying to ask him out downright  _ painful, _ as there was a real chance that he’d known all along what she was trying to do.

_ Was he waiting for me to make a move? Or was he genuinely uninterested? _

Ladybug  _ needed _ to ask him about it, as uncomfortable as it might be. Just to regain her peace of mind, Marinette needed to know  _ exactly _ when he’d learned of her crush, and exactly what he thought about his shy classmate. If Marinette had approached Adrien with the same courage that she’d shown as Ladybug… could things have worked out between them? If Ladybug had politely declined his offer, would Marinette have had a chance then?

First, however, she needed to talk to her partner…

__________

“Good to see you, m’lady!” Chat Noir called out, as he landed next to Ladybug on the Eiffel Tower with a dramatic somersault, “You look as  _ purrfect _ as usual-”

“Good to see you too, kitty.” Ladybug interrupted with a tight smile, and patted the space next to her in invitation for him to sit.

Shortly after returning from school, Plagg had warned Adrien that there was a message waiting for Chat Noir once he transformed. Although briefly confused, Adrien had quickly remembered Ladybug’s comments to him the day before, about how she wanted to talk to his alter-ego as soon as possible. It was sure to be an interesting conversation, and Chat Noir had to take care not to say anything out of character.

“I must say, your call came as a bit of a surprise. You had me worried that there might be some kind of danger.” Chat Noir remarked, as he sat a comfortable distance from Ladybug. 

The two of them sat in a comfortable silence for a few seconds, staring down at the city below. It was funny: Adrien had enjoyed this same view alongside Ladybug less than twenty-four hours ago, but the situation was  _ completely _ different. Adrien had been getting to know his new girlfriend, while Chat Noir was going to be reacting to the news that the love of his life had a boyfriend now. Should he act… upset? Probably, but Adrien also didn’t want to make things any harder for Ladybug than they needed to be.

“I did leave my message pretty vague, huh?” Ladybug said apologetically.

“Sorry I missed out on the last akuma fight.” Chat Noir said, “It sounded like it was pretty easy, but I still should’ve been there.”

“Hm?” Ladybug blinked, “Oh, right! I had it under control, but there’s something more important we need to talk about.” She stared at her knees awkwardly.

“More important?”

“Well, maybe not. More awkward, at least.” Ladybug fidgeted, “It’s just- I have a b-boyfriend now.”

And there it was. The words hurt for the briefest of moments, even though this new boyfriend of hers was actually him. Despite all of the work Chat Noir had put into wooing this girl, and the countless battles they’d fought alongside each other, Ladybug was still turning him down. Instead of her partner of over a year, Ladybug had chosen… a supermodel. Somebody that she barely knew. 

Ladybug didn’t love Chat Noir. And there was no reason to think that she would love Adrien any more once she got to know him better, a thought that gave him goosebumps.

“Oh.” Chat Noir said, shaking himself from such negative thoughts, “I take it this is… recent?”

“Yesterday.” Ladybug nodded, and was clearly paying close attention to Chat Noir’s reaction to this news, “The circumstances are weird… but I like him. A  _ lot.” _

“He feels the same way?” Chat Noir asked, suppressing a smile at Ladybug’s declaration. 

Chat Noir paused, however, wondering again whether or not what he was doing here counted as lying or not. He was hiding the fact that Ladybug’s new boyfriend was actually the same guy that she had rejected on two different occasions. No matter what happened, Adrien wanted to reveal his identity to his partner one day… had he destroyed that moment already?

“Yeah… I think he does.” Ladybug nodded, and Chat Noir was happy to see a lovestruck smile on her face, as she sighed softly to herself.

“What do you like about him?” Chat Noir asked, and cringed at how self-indulgent he was acting. Fortunately, Ladybug didn’t seem to notice.

“His name is Adrien Agreste.” Ladybug said, somewhat excitedly, “You might recognize him from the billboards-”

“Oh, you mean that fragrance kid?” Chat Noir gestured at the nearest billboard, where his face was on display.

“That’s the one!” Ladybug nodded, almost giddy, “Adrien’s so amazing… to  _ everyone! _ Even with people that don’t deserve it, like Lila. Just yesterday, after the akuma villain tried to attack him, he was there to comfort her afterwards! Can you believe that?”

“You like him a lot, huh?” Chat Noir said softly, almost a whisper.

“Yeah...” Ladybug said wistfully, letting out another sigh, “He’s  _ hot, _ too… not that it matters!” Chat Noir blushed, and was grateful that Ladybug was too distracted to notice, “It’s his first year in real school, but you wouldn’t guess it. He’s patient with everybody, and still finds a way to bounce like a  _ million _ activities on his schedule without a problem. He fences, he plays piano…”

Chat Noir was impressed that his lady knew so much about his civilian self, despite having only dated him for a day. Most of the stuff she referenced could be found on the internet, meaning that Ladybug  _ must _ have been a fan of Adrien before all of this- a thought that immediately excited the boy.

There were certainly a lot of questions left on the table. Chat Noir was worried that Ladybug might end up noticing Adrien’s similarities to Chat Noir and reject him. He was still torn about the ethics of dating her in the first place, and about whether or not he was lying to her. It certainly wasn’t going to be easy going forwards.

But despite how confused, worried, and vaguely upset Chat Noir was in that moment, seeing Ladybug so…  _ happy, _ as she talked about Adrien was enough to placate him. She was staring at the moon, its bright light reflecting off of her eyes in a definitive sparkle that was enough to make him pause and admire its beauty. Things might be difficult going forwards, but it  _ had _ to be worth it.  _ Ladybug _ was worth it.

__________

“...he really is the best.” Ladybug said softly, as her TED Talk about how much she loved Adrien came to a close.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you liked this guy.” Chat Noir teased, much to Ladybug’s surprise.

She stared critically at her partner’s face, as he was taking this  _ way _ better than Ladybug would have expected. In fact, she was just about to apologize for how long her rant had gone on, given how it was almost  _ guaranteed _ to make him uncomfortable. After all, this was the guy that had asked her out  _ twice, _ after flirting almost nonstop for a whole year. It was possible that he was teasing her as a defense mechanism, but Ladybug wasn’t picking up anything even remotely negative from him.

_ Has he given up on me? _ Ladybug wondered to herself, unsure of how she felt about it.

“I’m a bit confused though.” Chat Noir said, interrupted her train of thought, “You said he’s Adrien Agreste… why am I allowed to know his real name? I would never try and learn who you are without your permission, of course, but won’t your real name be on the front of all the tabloids pretty soon?”

Ladybug winced slightly, realizing that she was yet to tell Chat Noir about the biggest complication in her relationship with Adrien…

“Well, that’s the tricky part.” Ladybug admitted sheepishly, “I’m not actually dating him as my civilian self.”

“Wait, you don’t mean-” Chat Noir blinked, “Isn’t that kind of… dangerous?”

“Yeah, and that’s part of why I needed to talk to you.” Ladybug said uncomfortably.

Considering how well Chat Noir had taken the news, Ladybug hated pressing her luck. But she had to keep her word, both to Adrien and Tikki. Protecting Chloe or Kagami when they were fawning over Adrien had been some of Marinette’s worst experiences as Ladybug, and she was basically about to ask Chat to do that all the time.

“I’m… well, I’m asking for your help, actually.” Ladybug said, staring at her knees, “We won’t make our relationship public, but I could still  _ really _ use your help in keeping an eye on him- if you’re willing, that is! I wouldn’t want to-”

“It’s okay. I can’t see how Hawkmoth would ever learn about the two of you, but if you’re really worried about him, I can pay blondie a visit from time to time.” Chat Noir said, raising his hands diplomatically as he sat down next to her again. A soft smile appeared on his face, as though he were actually  _ happy _ to take on this duty.

“Adrien and I are going to have a  _ meow-volous  _ time.” Chat Noir teased, his voice more humorous than Ladybug would’ve ever expected, “We’ll have slumber parties, make friendship bracelets, build couch forts-”

“Oh, be serious.” Ladybug protested, but found herself laughing nonetheless at the image of the two boys having a ‘slumber party.’

Chat Noir didn’t have to do this, and he  _ definitely _ didn’t have to be this excited about it. Given how broken up Chat Noir had been when she turned him down, this was certainly a surprise. A pleasant surprise, make no mistake, but Ladybug found herself wondering once again if Chat Noir had given up on her at some point in the last few months.

“Thank you.” Ladybug said earnestly, and wrapped her arms around Chat Noir’s chest in a warm embrace.

“No problem.” Chat Noir said with a gentle laugh, and softly removed himself from her arms, “I take it you’re going to see him tonight?”

“Yeah.” Ladybug nodded, “You could come with me, if that’s okay? If we’re going to be protecting Adrien together, he should probably meet you first-”

Ladybug paused mid-sentence, as Chat Noir’s eyes widened in panic. She reviewed her sentence, unsure of what exactly she had said to trigger such a reaction, and was about to ask him what was wrong. However, his face reverted back to normal before she could bring it up, and Chat Noir instead offered her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry.” He said, “I’ve got to get home, actually. I’ll make sure to visit Adrien on my own one of these days, just to be sure we’re on the same page.”

And before Ladybug could respond, Chat Noir suddenly leapt off of the Eiffel Tower, vaulting across the city with his baton at a quicker rate than his leisurely approach. Ladybug frowned, unsure of what was going on, but decided that she had better stick to her word and go to visit Adrien.

**********

“Adrien?” Ladybug rapped her knuckles on one of his many windows, peering inside to try and find him.

“There you are!” Adrien emerged from his bathroom excitedly, a bright smile dominating his features. Seeing him happy was enough to put a smile on Ladybug’s face too, after her conversation with Chat Noir was brought to an abrupt end. He quickly pressed a button on a remote controller, opening the window in front of her.

_ How do you know about my crush on you? _ Ladybug wanted to immediately jump in, and ask about Marinette, but managed to restrain herself. After all, spending the entire evening talking with her boyfriend with what he thought to be some other girl was going to be awkward for both of them. She’d have to find a way to slip it in, at some point, but not right away.

“Expecting me, were you?” Ladybug teased, as she lowered herself from the window.

“I had a feeling you’d show up.” Adrien had a confident smile, but his voice was strained, as if he was out of breath. Maybe he’d been exercising?

It was only last night that Ladybug had been here, but she was still taken aback by the sheer size of Adrien’s bedroom. With its own staircase and balcony, this room was easily as large as the Dupain-Cheng family’s entire apartment. It was large to the degree that it might very well lose functionality; Ladybug found herself wondering if Adrien ever got tired walking a half-mile to his own bathroom every morning.

“Well, I figured I should drop in.” Ladybug said, and her playful mood immediately vanished as she remembered the exact note things had ended on last night, “I know I said it last night, but I am so,  _ so  _ sorry that I dropped you-”

“-in the Seine River, in the middle of the night?” Adrien finished, and quickly gave a gracious smile, “You pulled me back out, so I think we can call it even.”

“Yeah, you didn’t seem to be enjoying yourself in there.” Ladybug joked, but still felt awkward. “Um… should we sit down?”

Both of them flushed, as they remembered the first time the two of them had sat together on that couch.

“Y-Yeah.” Adrien stammered, but quickly regained his composure, “We should do that!”

The two of them took a seat on his couch, nowhere near as far apart as they had last time, but still not as close as one might expect from a couple. Ladybug considered moving closer, but again decided to take things a little bit slower this time. She was fairly confident that the two of them would grow more comfortable with each other as time went on, and there was no sense in trying to rush into things.

“So, what were you saying last night?” Ladybug asked, feigning ignorance even though she was a  _ terrible _ actress, “My grip on the yoyo slipped, but I think we were talking about Lila?”

“It was my friend Marinette, actually.” Adrien’s voice was tight as he corrected her. “I’m sorry if I said something wrong. It’s just that- well, we talked about Chat Noir, and I thought you might want to know about her.”

Ladybug was hyper-fixating on every syllable that came out of his mouth, and she frowned at how  _ guarded _ he seemed right now- or was she just imagining things? She wanted to pounce and demand to know every thought he’d ever even  _ conceived _ of in regards to Marinette, but she needed to keep her cool.

“You didn’t say anything wrong.” Ladybug assured him, and decided to dig a little deeper, “You’re saying that you think this Marinette girl… likes you?”

“Um, yeah.” Adrien said uncomfortably, “She hasn’t actually said anything though, so you don’t need to worry-”

“Why do you think she likes you?” Ladybug demanded, only barely noticing as she rose to her feet and towered over him, “Did somebody tell you? Was she talking to herself? Did she act super-awkward and embarrassing everytime you were in the room!?”

“Um…” Adrien’s eyes widened as Ladybug continued her rant.

“I bet  _ Chloe _ told you, didn’t she? Or maybe Lila… you know you can’t trust that girl! Was it her voice!?”

“Her… voice?” Adrien blinked.

I’ve heard that girls talk in a higher pitch when they’re with somebody they like.” Ladybug explained, and looked at Adrien expectantly.

Adrien stared back at Ladybug for a long moment, clearly taken aback by her interrogation. Ladybug didn’t want to do this, but she couldn’t stop herself. Marinette’s crush on Adrien was one of her greatest insecurities, and she found herself overanalyzing every interaction they’d had since the day they’d met. He’d seemed oblivious to her advances, but he apparently  _ knew? _ It was possible that he was just assuming, but she had to know what was going on.

“It was a bit of… most of those, I guess?” Adrien said finally, shifting uncomfortably, “My friend Kagami- you mentioned her last night- it was mostly because of her. She didn’t tell me directly, but I got pointed in the right direction because of her…”

__________

“I’m sorry I invited Marinette and Luka along without asking.” Adrien said sheepishly, as he and Kagami finished putting away their fencing gear.

The two of them had gone on a date the day before, at an ice-skating rink. Kagami had been the one to suggest it, and was still surprisingly gracious after Adrien essentially told her that he wasn’t interested in going on another. Adrien had also allowed Marinette to tag along, who in turn had brought Luka. And while Kagami hadn’t said anything at the rink, Adrien couldn’t help but feel a bit bad about the whole experience.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t.” Kagami said dispassionately, as she finished zipping up her bag, “If anything, I’d say that Marinette’s date was the unlucky one.”

“Really, why?” Adrien frowned, not sure what Kagami meant by that. Luka and Marinette seemed to have a good time, and he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.

“You didn’t notice?” Kagami arched an eyebrow, “She was practically  _ drooling  _ the entire time… and not over Luka.”

“What do you mean by  _ that?” _ Adrien asked confusedly, as Kagami began walking towards the door.

“Not my place to tell you.” Kagami gave him one last look as she exited the locker room, “Word of advice though: look closely at your friend Marinette. You might just be surprised at what you see.”

__________

“...and from there, the pieces all kind of slid together.” Adrien explained, “Marinette is always very shy around me, and I never thought anything of it. Then I noticed that it was  _ only _ around me that she was shy. I noticed that Alya- Marinette’s best friend- was always nudging her in my direction. I finally asked my friend Nino about it, and even though he tried playing dumb, he’s really not a very good liar.”

Adrien almost smiled at the memory of Nino’s expression that day. Nino had feigned ignorance, but quickly relented after Adrien pressed the issue. Nino admitted that Marinette did indeed have a crush on Adrien, but made him  _ swear _ that he hadn’t heard it from him. He’d learned about it from Alya, who would probably murder him if she learned that Nino had told Adrien.

“So yeah, I thought she might get upset to hear that I’m in a relationship.” Adrien explained apologetically, “Sorry I killed the mood by bringing it up- Marinette really is my friend, and I don’t want to ruin things between us, you know?”

Rather than answering immediately, Ladybug simply stared at him with a blank expression. Adrien immediately began to panic internally, afraid that he might’ve said something wrong. He’d just been answering her questions about Marinette, but Ladybug was yet to offer him  _ anything _ in response. It was unnerving.

“R-Right.” Ladybug finally said, and turned to face the window, “That’s um… very sweet of you. To worry about your friend, I mean.” Adrien wasn’t the most socially competent person in the world, but he could’ve sworn he detected a bit of  _ hurt _ in his girlfriend’s voice.

“Ladybug?” Adrien asked, and stood up hesitantly, “Is everything-”

“I’m good!” Ladybug interrupted hastily, and turned back around, “It’s nothing… I just- what do you think of Marinette? You said she’s a friend…”

“She is.” Adrien nodded, still baffled by Ladybug’s interest, “In fact, she was one of the first friends I made at school. We had a bit of a misunderstanding on the first day, but we managed to sort through it pretty quickly.”

The day would stand out in Adrien’s memory  _ forever. _ In the course of just a few hours, Adrien’s entire life was completely changed. After his first failed attempt to go to school, he’d found an unidentified box in his bedroom. And inside of that box… the key to another life. The ring of the Black Cat, with Plagg as its mascot of sorts. He’d gone on to face Stoneheart, and fight alongside the girl of his dreams.

But as exciting as it was to assume a double identity, the day’s end was almost as memorable. After Marinette had mistakenly believed that Adrien was the one to leave gum on her seat, Nino had encouraged Adrien to approach her and clear it all up. And as Adrien offered her his umbrella, with a storm brewing in the background, Adrien felt like he’d accomplished something far greater than wielding a giant pole or cracking a pun: he’d made a friend, all on his own.

“And now you know she likes you.” Ladybug remarked, and her eyes seemed to bore into his skull, “Do you like her back?”

Upon realizing that Kagami was right, and Marinette’s crush was real, Adrien had to admit he was torn for a brief while. Marinette was a person he actually cared about; she was an individual that he greatly respected. Marinette was talented, smart, and kind. And the more Adrien had thought about her, the more he could actually see the two of them together.

But as much as he cared for Marinette, Ladybug was still the winner. Adrien knew Ladybug  _ much _ better than he knew Marinette, despite not knowing her real name. The two of them had fought together; Chat Noir had  _ died _ for Ladybug. He had trusted her with his life on countless occasions, and she had done the same with him. Their Miraculous were like yin and yang, opposing forces that complemented each other. Ladybug clearly had a lot of doubts, but she didn’t  _ hesitate _ to answer the call when push came to shove.

To say that Adrien adored her was an understatement, and he couldn’t adequately explain most of it as his civilian self.

“I like  _ you, _ Ladybug.” Adrien said confidently, and offered a soft smile, “You don’t have to worry about Marinette, or Chloe, or anybody else.”

The line sounded good in Adrien’s head, and he even liked it when he said it, but Ladybug’s face seemed to darken nonetheless. Adrien began to worry: was Ladybug upset by his declaration? Did she not believe him? Or perhaps even worse: did she regret agreeing to be with him, like he’d feared as Chat Noir?   
  


“...I see.” Ladybug said quietly, and seemed to be  _ overwhelmed. _

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Adrien asked, and began to step towards her hesitantly.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Ladybug insisted, turning away from him yet again, “I’m sorry… but I have to go. I’ve got to… um, go see Chat Noir.”

“You do?” Adrien blinked, hurt as he immediately realized that she was lying to get away.

“It’s pretty important.” Ladybug said, and leapt back up onto the windowsill, “Take care, Adrien.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathalie doesn't get paid enough for this

“What. Is.  _ This?” _ Gabriel’s eyes narrowed at the tablet screen. His work was immediately forgotten, as the contents of the video feed demanded  _ immediate _ attention.

“I believe that’s Ladybug, sir.” Nathalie said, her voice remaining in its normal state of dispassion, “It’s the second night in a row that she’s triggered our motion sensors.”

The footage showed the spotted heroine swinging on her yoyo, captured by the Agreste Mansion’s security sensors. Nathalie had assumed it to be a coincidence of sorts on the first instance, but on the second… there was clearly a pattern. For whatever reason, Ladybug was swinging near the mansion, something that  _ demanded _ investigation, for obvious reasons, as Natahlie had a  _ strong _ desire to not spend the rest of her life inside of a prison cell.

“Why in the  _ blazes _ would she be snooping around here?” Gabriel demanded, growling in frustration, “Surely she doesn’t know about us… she can’t!”

Ladybug had triggered the sensors near Adrien’s window on both occasions, and the security footage showed her moving straight towards the house as opposed to just passing by. Nathalie, like Gabriel, had been concerned initially. However, upon further examination, and a subtle investigation of Adrien’s room, Nathalie had been forced to reach a very  _ different _ conclusion. One that Mr. Agreste might be very curious to learn about.

“It’s unlikely that she’s learned the truth.” Nathalie said, “Ladybug would’ve almost certainly apprehended you by now. Moreover, she wouldn’t be paying Adrien any visits.”

“I beg your pardon?” Gabriel put down the tablet, fixing Nathalie with a puzzled look.   
  


“I couldn’t make out much.” Nathalie admitted, “But I put my ear to his door last night, after the sensor was triggered, and heard two  _ distinct _ voices.”

“You’re joking.” Gabriel gawked, but quickly regained his composure, “Of course you’re not. Do you ever?”

“You’d be surprised.” Nathalie said wryly, but her boss had already moved on.

“You don’t think-  _ no,  _ Adrien wouldn’t…” Gabriel looked scandalized as he considered the possibilities, “They’re not doing anything  _ indecorous, _ are they?”

Nathalie hadn’t been able to identify what the two of them were talking about, but she’d investigated his room while Adrien was at school the next day. There were no signs of anything out of the ordinary at a glance. However, further examination revealed several  _ interesting  _ clues that Nathalie was eager to share with her boss.

“I can’t say for sure.” Nathalie said, and gestured at the tablet, “But go ahead and look at the next image I’ve saved for you.”

Gabriel arched an eyebrow, and swiped the tablet screen curiously. For a long moment, there was silence in Mr. Agreste’s office, as the man’s jaw dropped. Nathalie was unsure what to make of his reaction; did he not understand what he was looking at?

“That is the background on Adrien’s desktop computer.” Nathalie explained, “And while we can’t be certain that he fancies her, that’s a lot of hearts for somebody that just admires Ladybug in a platonic way. Personally, I think-”

“Yes, thank you Nathalie.” Gabriel groaned, lowering his head onto the desk in shame.

“Also, the couch seemed to be more than a few feet out of position. If I was to guess-”   
  


_ “Stop.”  _ Gabriel held up a hand, silencing his assistant, “I don’t want to hear it.”

The aging designer slipped backwards into his chair, his entire posture signifying a certain  _ tiredness _ that Nathalie hadn’t observed in him for some time. It was a starch reminder that Gabriel Agreste was still a man, underneath his cold demeanor.

“It’s not enough to stop my villains, eh?” Gabriel said to an invisible Ladybug,  _ “No.  _ You had to go and corrupt my son too, is that it?”

“She’s not present to hear your complaints, sir.” Nathalie said flatly, “At least not currently.”

“Mind your tongue.” Gabriel shot her a look, before releasing a frustrated sigh, “What the  _ hell _ am I supposed to do about this?”

“Knowing you, I’m expecting some sort of dastardly scheme.”

“Already working on it.” Gabriel nodded in agreement, and Natahlie quickly realized that this conversation was over, “In the meantime, another akuma should keep Ladybug and that feline friend of hers busy… and  _ away _ from my son!”

__________

“Not exactly Hawkmoth’s greatest creation, huh?” Chat Noir landed next to Ladybug, who was perched atop an archway.

“Right.” Ladybug nodded, barely acknowledging her partner’s presence.

The villain in question was called ‘Bulldozer,’ and he did a fantastic job of living up to his ridiculous name. Bulldozer himself was only about the size of a normal man, but his power came from the gigantic, transforming machine that he commanded. It could flip between various pieces of construction equipment, such as a crane, a steamroller, and- you guessed it- a bulldozer. He was busy levelling every single street vendor he could find, and was yet to notice Ladybug and Chat Noir hidden above.

Fortunately, the structures he was destroying all seemed to be empty, as Bulldozer seemed to be far more interested in destruction of property than in mass murder.

“As much as I’d love to rush in and get turned into kitty kibble, I’m thinking we might want to make a plan first.” Chat Noir interrupted her train of thought with a quip.

“You should probably cataclysm his machine.” Ladybug said absently, still lost inside her own thoughts.

“Anything I should know about him?” Chat Noir asked, looking between his partner and the villain, “You got here before me, so-”

“It’s big, mean, and it breaks things.” Ladybug interrupted, unintentionally projecting her frustrations on Chat Noir, “What more do you need to know?”

“Alright then!” Chat Noir said, but his enthusiasm sounded forced, “Let’s go!”

It was on Monday that she’d fled her last conversation with Adrien, and now it was Wednesday. Two days, and she still hadn’t said  _ anything _ to her boyfriend. This was true of both Ladybug and Marinette, who had been unable to stop herself from avoiding Adrien at school, as immature as it was. It was wrong of her to ignore him- she knew this- but Marinette had no idea what she would even say to him, as either of her personas.

As Marinette, Adrien knew about her crush, and wasn’t saying anything about it. If Marinette talked to him, she doubted she’d be able to act normal. She would hyper-fixate on everything he said, and convince herself that anything nice was just to make her feel better. There was no way she’d be able to accomplish anything that way.

Ladybug sighed audibly. What had she wanted him to say? Adrien would’ve been perhaps the worst boyfriend  _ ever _ if he’d said he had feelings for another girl when Ladybug interrogated him. If he liked Marinette at all, he’d have almost certainly concealed it to save face.

“Chat Noir! Give me your Miraculous or suffer the consequences!” Bulldozer demanded with a deep growl, as the feline hero entered his line of sight.

Ladybug blinked, realizing that she hadn’t moved since sending Chat Noir to attack, when he was almost  _ certainly _ expecting her help. She drew her yoyo, and dove off of the arch to support him, but a sinking feeling grew in her stomach as she feared that she might be too late-

“Nice ride.” Chat Noir remarked dryly, before leaping straight towards the villain’s massive contraption,  _ “Cataclysm!” _

But before Chat Noir’s ultimate power of destruction could reach its target, Bulldozer’s machine transformed into a gigantic crane, with a  _ massive  _ wrecking ball. Chat Noir lunged, but the crane was faster; the wrecking ball smacked him midair, sending him flying. The impact made a deafening  _ crack _ that caused Ladybug to immediately wince. Chat Noir slammed into an abandoned coffee shop, crashing through the window and into the dining area.

“Chat Noir!” Ladybug cried, a sick feeling overtaking her as her mind scrambled to consider how badly her kitty was injured.

Fortunately, the wrecking ball had slammed Chat Noir from the right, giving him enough time to touch it with his hand. It meant that Bulldozer’s entire contraption was now turning into a fine black powder as the power of cataclysm spread throughout it, rendering the villain practically useless as the disgruntled construction worker hit the pavement with a  _ thud.  _ In fact, a small black butterfly fluttered out of the wreckage, confirming that Chat had managed to hit the akumatized object. Ladybug barely looked as she snagged the akuma with her yoyo.

“I’m so sorry!” Ladybug panicked, as she dove into the coffee shop, where Chat Noir was struggling back to his feet. He was clutching his ribcage, and his face contained  _ none _ of his usual flair. Ladybug offered her hand, but he ignored it as he righted himself, fixing Ladybug with a wary expression as he leaned on the counter.

“I take it you didn’t know he had a  _ gigantic wrecking ball?”  _ Chat Noir coughed, and would’ve fallen right back to the ground if Ladybug didn’t catch him.

“Not specifically, but I did know he could transform.” Ladybug admitted sheepishly, “Your ribs… are they broken?”

“Well, I think they got  _ shattered _ by the aforementioned gigantic wrecking ball.” Chat Noir shook his head, grimacing, “Speaking of which, do you mind?”

Chat Noir gestured at her yoyo, and Ladybug could only stare for a brief moment before realizing what he wanted.

_ “Miraculous Ladybug!” _ She called out, throwing the yoyo above them, and summoning a massive wave of magical ladybugs. They washed over the area, repairing the various pieces of equipment that Bulldozer had destroyed, as well as mending Chat Noir’s injuries in an instant. It was an insanely useful power, and Ladybug was grateful that her error hadn’t caused any permanent damage.

“Look, I messed up.” Ladybug said, as Chat Noir poked his chest hesitantly, “I didn’t back you up right away, and I didnt warn you about-”

“-the gigantic wrecking ball.” Chat Noir said for the third time, but there was a weak smile on his face now, “No harm, no foul. We still won, and you’ve fixed me up.”

It was very rare for Ladybug to get distracted like that during a mission. She’d made dumb calls before, or acted emotionally, but she never just  _ stopped  _ like that. It was unnerving, and it made her realize just how much the situation with Adrien was upsetting her. To make matters even worse, she still had no way of fixing it.

“It still shouldn’t have happened.” Ladybug said.

“Eh, life goes on.” Chat Noir dismissed, as his ring began to chirp, “I paid that boyfriend of yours a visit, by the way.” He looked hesitant, as if he knew he was treading on thin ice.

Ladybug blinked, confused at first, before she remembered their last conversation. Chat Noir had promised to drop in on Adrien on his own, after declining Ladybug’s offer to go with her. The way he’d refused had been so abrupt that Ladybug had wondered whether or not he’d actually do it, and after their last conversation… she almost wished he hadn’t. That being said, a morbid curiosity still overtook her.

“You’ve still got a few minutes?” Ladybug gestured at his ring.

“Four, to be precise.” Chat Noir smiled, and waved at the empty cafe, “Take a seat?”

Maybe this place was closed today? Ladybug had no idea, but she wasn’t complaining. It was a cute little coffee shop, and Marinette privately pledged to visit it on her own one of these days. She especially liked a small little painting on the opposing wall, that perfectly mirrored the cityscape in the window next to it. 

The two superheroes grabbed the closest table, and sat down on opposite sides. Chat Noir looked to be deep in thought as though considering his next words very carefully. Ladybug had to surmise that Adrien had told him something that upset him- something that made him want to talk with Ladybug as soon as possible. She braced herself internally, ready to admit how badly she’d screwed up last time.

“Adrien says he’s sorry.” Chat Noir said finally, “He didn’t meant to upset you, and he really wants-”   
  


“Why is  _ he  _ sorry?” Ladybug asked before she could stop herself, “I mean,  _ continue, _ please.”

So Adrien blamed himself… of c _ ourse. _ Even when she was the one that screwed up, Ladybug had still found a way to make him feel bad about it. Marinette was vaguely upset with him for knowing about her crush and not saying anything, but it wasn’t really fair of her. As far as he was concerned, his girlfriend had asked him about his friendship with another girl, only to abruptly leave after his response.

_ Why did I have to make things so complicated? _

“He wants to see you again.” Chat Noir said, looking even more uncomfortable, “Look… I know this isn’t my place, but I’d go talk to him as soon as possible. He seemed pretty broken up about all this when I dropped by… as charmed as he was by my visit.” Chat smiled vainly, clearly trying to lighten the mood, but Ladybug was unimpressed.

“He really wants to see me?” Ladybug asked quietly.

“Yeah, he does.” Chat Noir nodded, studying her closely, “I take it… you don’t want to see Adrien?”

_ Question of the decade. _ Ladybug thought to herself, sighing audibly as she considered her answer. On the surface, it was obvious: absolutely she wanted to see Adrien. As complicated things had gotten between them, she still loved him a lot. But Ladybug had fooled herself into believing that she could balance her two identities while she dated him as Ladybug; leaving Marinette out of the equation was creating far more drama than she’d have ever anticipated.

“I’m scared to see him.” Ladybug admitted, but scoffed at herself immediately afterwards, “It’s funny: I fight literal  _ supervillains  _ on the regular, but talking to my own boyfriend is even scarier for some reason.”

“Yeah, that piano in his room made me think I was dealing with a pretty scary guy.” Chat Noir teased, as he placed a soft hand on Ladybug’s, “Come on Ladybug… he’s a guy! And even though I don’t know him well, I can tell he’s a guy who cares about you. Go see him- I  _ promise _ he’ll be happy to see you.”   
  


“You really think so?” Ladybug looked him in his unnaturally green eyes.

“I  _ know  _ so.” Chat Noir nodded, smiling brightly.

Despite how distracted she was, Ladybug again found herself blown away by how mature Chat Noir was acting. She was sure that he’d respect her wishes, but now he was actively trying to help her keep their relationship intact? In some ways, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it, given how  _ infatuated _ Chat had been with her before.

“I take it you won’t come with me?” Ladybug asked half-heartedly.

“Probably not a good idea.” Chat snorted, and took another glance at his ring, “Shoot… I’ve gotta get going. Let me know how it turns out?”

“Definitely.” Ladybug said with a smile, but was still lost in her own head.

Maybe Chat Noir was right, and Adrien would be happy to see her. But even if that was true, Ladybug still wasn’t convinced things would work out. The longer she thought about it, the more convinced she was that there was nothing  _ Ladybug _ could do about all of this. She would continue to beat herself up over what he thought of Marinette, widening the gap between them. Adrien would be scared of offending her, and Ladybug would do little to quell that concern.

If she was going to fix things with Adrien, Marinette needed to learn the truth about how he felt on her own terms, without a polka-dotted spandex…

__________

“I’ve seen worse.” Nino shrugged indifferently, and Adrien bristled.

“Wow. Detailed feedback from the man in the red hat.” Adrien rolled his eyes, socking his friend in the shoulder, “Care to offer more than a three word review?”

“Sure: this plan is stupid.” Nino counted on his fingers, prompting another hostile look from the blond boy.

Just after Chat Noir’s battle with Bulldozer and his conversation with Ladybug had ended, Adrien rushed back to school just in time for the last period to end. But instead of going home like everybody else, Adrien instead decided to stop Nino before he could leave, and ask him for some advice. He was almost certainly going to be seeing Ladybug after he got home, and wanted to be prepared to handle whatever happened.

And Adrien could think of no better confidant than Nino Lahiffe.

“Come on, girls love poetry!” Adrien insisted, gesturing at his paper, but hesitated afterwards, “I mean… they do, don’t they?”

It was something that Adrien had been working on all day during his spare time, all the way up until he had to sneak out for the akuma fight. And while Adrien wasn’t  _ thrilled  _ with the results, he’d been starting to feel happier and happier with it the more times he revised it. At least until Nino offered his opinion.

_ “Some _ girls like poetry.” Nino corrected him, “But dude, you’re wasting your time if you think this’ll just fix everything.”

“This is just icing on the cake.” Adrien explained, “We’ll talk it all over, and then-”

“-and then you’ll whip out the magic poem?” Nino snorted, as he rose to leave the classroom, “If this actually works, then send me a copy dude! But I don’t think it will. You’ll be online later?”

“Yeah, once I sort this out.” Adrien nodded, and Nino grinned as he walked away.

Adrien had kept the details vague, but he’d told Nino about his girlfriend in the library a few days ago. He didn’t know that it was Ladybug, of course, which made the fact that he couldn’t meet her somewhat hard to explain, but Nino was fortunately still cool about it. Today, Adrien had been desperate for advice, and his friend was more than slightly amused to learn that there was already ‘trouble in paradise.’

Nino had basically told him to panic when Adrien explained that he hadn’t seen her for two days, and their last conversation had been about his feelings for another girl.

“Hey… Adrien?” Marinette’s voice was enough to startle him, as he didn’t see her enter. The two of them didn’t have the same class for last period, so he hadn’t seen her since Bulldozer attacked.

“Marinette!” Adrien smiled, genuinely happy to see her, “What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing much.” She said shyly, sitting down in the seat next to him. The classroom was empty besides them, as Nino had just exited.

In some ways, Adrien wanted to be frustrated with his dark-haired friend, as she seemed to be the source of his strife with Ladybug. But as easy as it would’ve been to blame her, it also would’ve been  _ laughably _ unfair. Marinette had absolutely no idea what was going on right now, and even if she did it wasn’t like she’d actually  _ done _ anything. All Marinette had done was harbor a private crush on him, which was well within her rights.

“Did you hear about the akuma attack?” Adrien decided to make small talk, “Ladybug and Chat Noir cleaned it up pretty quickly from what I hear.”

“From what I heard, Chat Noir did most of the heavy lifting this time.” Marinette remarked glumly, her expression darkening a bit.

_ Strange. _ Adrien didn’t necessarily disagree with her statement (after all, he was proud of the work he did today), but he was surprised to hear how disappointed she sounded in saying it.

“Big Ladybug fan?” Adrien asked with a wry smile, and Marinette looked almost  _ snarky _ for a moment.

“Well, not as much as y-” Marinette stopped abruptly, her eyes widening for a split second, “Uh… not as much as Alya, I mean.”

“True.” Adrien snorted. Even as Ladybug’s partner and boyfriend, he was pretty sure that Alya had him beat as the spotted heroine’s number one fan.

The pair sat in a comfortable silence for what was probably about thirty seconds, but felt much longer. The room was an almost exact replica of Ms. Bustier’s, and they were both seated on the bench closest to the door. Adrien should  _ probably _ get going sooner rather than later, so as to not keep Ladybug waiting, but he had no problem spending a few minutes with Marinette first.

“Soooo…” Marinette said, shifting uncomfortably, “W-What are you doing tonight? I mean, you’re a busy guy. You’re probably doing somebod- I mean,  _ something, _ right?” Marinette flushed bright red, and Adrien immediately felt bad.

It was moments like this that made Adrien wonder how on Earth it had taken him this long to notice that Marinette liked him. Granted, he hadn’t been to school before this year, and lacked a lot of social experience, but it was still  _ painfully _ obvious. The stuttering, the blushing… this wasn’t normal behavior.

But, in keeping with tradition, Adrien decided it’d be wise to continue feigning ignorance. No need to embarrass her by pointing it out.

“Well, I told Nino I’d game with him tonight.” Adrien said, “But other than that-”

“I’ve loved you since the day we met!” Marinette blurted, to the surprise of both of them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette confesses her undying love, while Gabriel finally decides to take action.

_ Well, I guess this is it. _ Marinette thought to herself, as she blurted out her offer without fully preparing.

It was funny: asking Adrien out was the only Marinette wasn’t brave enough to do, for a very long time. And yet, the one time she finally found the courage to  _ go for it, _ was the same time that she  _ knew _ he would almost certainly reject her. Somehow, knowing the outcome of her proposal made asking less of an ordeal, even when the outcome was rejection. It was weird.

_ I better get rejected. _

“You mean… oh…” Adrien inhaled, clearly uncomfortable with the situation, “I’m guessing you mean that in a  _ not _ platonic way…”

“Um, y-yeah.” Marinette nodded, silently wishing for death as the awkwardness of the situation continued to compound, “I was hoping we could get together… go on dates… that sort of thing…”

_ “Oh.” _ Adrien blinked, shifting back and forth in his seat.

Marinette did feel a  _ little _ bad for putting him on the spot, but quickly reminded herself that Adrien had been given  _ plenty _ of time to think of a way to let her down easy. If he wasn’t prepared for this… it was kind of his fault, since he’d known about her crush for all this time. If he’d learned after the day the two of them went to the ice rink with Luka and Kagami… that meant that Adrien had known her secret for all of three  _ months. _

“Listen…” Adrien said softly, “I’m really sorry, but I can’t. I haven’t told many people about this yet- just Nino, actually- but I have a girlfriend.”

“You do?” Marinette feigned surprise, but the hurt she felt from the rejection was still very real.

“Yeah. She doesn’t go here, but we’ve only been official for a couple of days now.” Adrien explained, looking very closely to see how Marinette reacted.

This was her opportunity to learn the truth about how he felt. She could press him now, and ask him whether or not his relationship with Ladybug was the  _ only _ thing getting in the way, but that would almost certainly make things awkward for at least a little while. Conversely, she could bow out and walk away, but Marinette didn't come this far just to retreat…

“Is she the  _ only _ reason?” Marinette asked, her voice somewhat cold.

“Uh… do I need another?” Adrien blinked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“Adrien, you’re not very good at acting surprised.” Marinette accused, even though Adrien had put on a very convincing performance, “This isn’t the first you’ve heard of my crush… is it?”

Adrien’s eyes widened in shock, and Marinette immediately felt bad for pushing him like this. However, she  _ needed _ to know what was going on here, and abusing the knowledge she’d obtained as Ladybug might be the only way.

“I’m sorry.” Adrien said quietly, after he regained his composure, “You’re right… I managed to figure it out after that time you helped me with Kagami.” He hesitated, clearly waiting for a response, “I know I probably should have said something-”

“What would you have said, if I asked you out back then?” Marinette asked, trying to maintain a stoic expression, “You weren’t with your girlfriend back then.”

“That’s not-” Adrien hesitated, “It’s not that simple. We weren’t dating at the time, yeah, but my mind was still pretty set on her.”

_ You didn’t know her. _ Marinette found herself growing frustrated. He still didn’t know Ladybug very well, in all honesty. How could he have ‘his mind set’ on somebody that he’d only met on a handful of occasions? Granted, a handful was more than zero, and Marinette loved to think that Ladybug had made a strong impression on him, but it was still mind boggling. He’d spent exponentially more time with Marinette across that same time period, and he  _ knew _ that she liked him.

_ It was a lot of time, but was it time well spent? _ Marinette cringed, as she realized that despite spending a lot more time with Adrien as a civilian, she had done very little to actually make that time count. She’d stuttered, tried vainly to get his attention by meeting him in unusual places, but nothing that would really make him  _ notice _ her. 

Sure, Marinette had gone with him to see the movie that his mother starred in, but that was the same day that he’d literally _jumped_ _off a building_ when Ladybug asked.

“So I never had a chance…” Marinette said quietly, “Is that what you’re saying?”

The atmosphere in the room had gone from a cordial chat between friends to stifling awkwardness in a matter of minutes. Marinette knew that what she was doing here was wrong in a lot of ways, but she wasn’t going to give up just yet. And Adrien, despite his gentlemanly etiquette, clearly looked like he wanted to  _ flee. _

“That’s not fair.” Adrien hesitated again, “Marinette… I can’t just-”

“Just  _ tell _ me!” Marinette insisted, only barely noticing that her voice was almost a  _ yell, _ “If she didn’t exist, what would you say?”

“She  _ does _ exist.” Adrien almost whispered, “Marinette, I’m sorry but-”

“Oh,  _ stop _ dancing around the issue!” Marinette demanded, literally yelling now as she rose to her feet, “If I’d asked you out before her, what would you have said!?”

For a long moment, Adrien was shocked, staring at Marinette like she’d just put a gun to his head. Probably because Marinette had  _ never _ raised her voice with him before, or even come close to confrontational. But that shock quickly gave way to something resembling anger, as Adrien fixed Marinette with the nastiest look she’d ever seen on his usually polite features.

“I’d have probably said  _ yes. _ ” Adrien said tightly, and rose to his feet while shaking his head in agitation, “There. Are you happy?”

_ Wait… what!? _ Marinette couldn’t believe her ears, and her jaw literally dropped. She’d been bracing herself to learn the inevitable truth: that Marinette had been wasting her time for the last year on some guy that would’ve  _ never _ gone for her. But despite all of the evidence suggesting that to be the answer… Adrien would have given her a chance!?

“I-” Marinette spluttered, eyes widening in shock, “Hold on, you don’t mean…”

“But that ship has sailed.” Adrien said, raising his voice slightly as he approached the door, “I’m with Lady-  _ her _ now, Marinette. Badgering me about what could’ve been won’t change that.”

And before she could properly formulate a response, Adrien stormed off, shutting the door with slightly more force than strictly necessary.

__________

“Huh…” Plagg sounded impressed, as Adrien began to unpack his bag, “Looks like pigtails has a bit more fire in her than you expected.”

_ “Yeah.” _ Adrien said flatly, “And less etiquette. What the heck was  _ that?” _

Marinette was usually a very kind person, and Adrien was thoroughly blindsided by the way she’d acted. She was probably just upset at getting rejected- Chat Noir  _ definitely _ understood that- but Marinette had really managed to get under his skin. Probably because her line of questioning felt  _ eerily _ similar to what Ladybug had pressed him on last time they’d met…

_“That,_ Adrien, was an interrogation.” Plagg cackled, floating above his chosen’s head tauntingly, “And you, my friend, _cracked_ under the pressure.”

“I did  _ not.” _ Adrien protested, as he finished taking out his textbooks, “You better hide. Ladybug will probably be here soon.”

The conversation with Marinette made Adrien even less excited about Ladybug’s visit. He had just endured a solid ten minutes being questioned about his feelings for Marinette,  _ by _ Marinette, and he certainly didn’t need Ladybug to pile on. And given the way their last ‘date’ had ended… that was almost certainly first on the agenda.

“I gotta admit: I was just as surprised as she was.” Plagg continued, but he did float behind Adrien’s pillows, out of view of the window.

“Meaning?”

“You’d have really gone out with her if she asked?” Plagg inquired, and Adrien let out a frustrated growl.

“Not you too, Plagg.” Adrien huffed, slamming his textbook shut in frustration. There was no way he’d be able to get anything done tonight, not with all of these distractions.

Whether he wanted her to be or not… Marinette was still on his mind. Adrien wasn’t in the mood to explain himself to anybody, least of all  _ Plagg, _ but what he’d said earlier was probably true. If Marinette had mustered the nerve to confess her feelings and ask him out, he probably would’ve agreed to go on at least a date or two with her. After all, Marinette was somebody Adrien respected- at least  _ usually- _ and Ladybug had pretty firmly shut the door in Chat Noir’s face. 

Adrien paused, remembering the time he did actually try to move on from Ladybug. A date with Marinette might’ve ended up exactly like his date with Kagami, where he reverted back to his old tendencies shortly afterwards, but he still probably would’ve tried it.

“Man…” Adrien winced, as a thought struck him, “Alya’s going to  _ kill _ me, isn’t she?”

“Most likely.” Plagg snickered, “She’ll kill Nino too, if she learns that he squawked.”

Adrien replayed the entire scenario in his mind, unsure if he owed any apologies. On the one hand, he had every right to reject Marinette- especially considering his current relationship status. But on the other hand… had he been overly harsh with her? Probably not, considering the way she raised her voice and wouldn’t let it go. 

He doubted Alya would see it that way though.

“Sounds like you have a guest.” Plagg commented, snapping Adrien out of his thoughts.

Sure enough, Ladybug was again perched above one of his windows, waving sheepishly at him. Her other hand was hidden behind her back, for whatever reason, and her entire posture seemed a lot more  _ stiff _ than usual. Adrien stared for a long moment, until a subtle  _ cough _ from Plagg reminded him that he should probably let her in.

“Adrien!” Ladybug said, and the cheer in her voice sounded forced, “H-How are you doing today? It’s been a few days since I had to leave-”   
  


“Well, you had to meet with Chat Noir.” Adrien interrupted flatly, and Ladybug cringed as she climbed down from the window.

“Uh, yeah.” Ladybug said, rubbing the back of her head somewhat anxiously, “Nothing to report on that front… business as usual. I brought you these!”

Before Adrien could answer, Ladybug whipped out from behind her back… a bouquet of flowers? They were a mixture of yellow and red, and looked to be professionally wrapped. Adrien blinked, momentarily stunned by the gesture.

“Look, I’m really sorry…” Ladybug said quietly, as Adrien reflexively accepted her gift, “Chat Noir told me that you thought you did something wrong, but I promise you that isn’t true. I know I’ve been acting really weird these last few days, and it’s not really fair for me to just show up and expect your forgiveness… but here I am.”

__________

“Right  _ now?” _ Gabriel demanded indignantly, immediately rising from his seat to stare at the tablet Nathalie had handed him.

“Indeed.” Nathalie affirmed, as her boss pounded a frustrated fist onto his desk.

They were again standing in Gabriel’s office, this time in the early evening. Gabriel had been busy designing a new dress for Audrey Bourgeois, when Nathalie interrupted him. Instead of using words to explain what was going on, the experienced assistant had decided to simply hand him a tablet displaying what the motion sensors had captured tonight.

“Are those… flowers?” Gabriel blinked, squinting at the screen.

“I believe so, sir.”

For a long moment, Nathalie’s boss simply  _ stared _ at the screen in his hand, completely frozen. His face was emotionless, and his posture was as rigid as a horseshoe. He gripped the tablet with his left hand, and his right slowly curled into a fist. Nathalie was about to inquire about his well-being, when Gabriel finally snapped into action.

“She’s probably still in there.” Gabriel began to power walk towards the office door, “I need to move quickly…” Nathalie was forced to scramble to keep up as he entered the foyer.

Nathalie wasn’t paid to ask questions, but found herself wanting to do just that as Gabriel marched straight for the stairs. If she didn’t know better, her boss was about to barge into Adrien’s bedroom and confront the young couple,  _ without _ assuming his Hawkmoth identity or bringing a supervillain for backup. 

And while Nathalie wasn’t quite as seasoned as Gabriel in the art of villainy, this seemed like a  _ terrible _ idea. It would ruin the element of surprise by letting Ladybug know that her secret rendezvous wasn’t as secure as she believed.

But Nathalie bit her tongue. After all, Gabriel Agreste tended to know what he was doing…

__________

“Flowers, huh?” Adrien finally said, examining Ladybug’s gift with a curious look.

After the way her conversation with Adrien at school had escalated, Marinette couldn’t bring herself to show up empty-handed as Ladybug. And while she knew Adrien’s schedule by heart, she’d completely drawn a blank when trying to think of a simple gift that he might like. Eventually she settled on the flowers, but was worried he might not like them. 

After all, a guy getting flowers from a girl wasn’t exactly  _ traditional. _

“Y-Yeah.” Ladybug laughed nervously, “I picked out the scarlet and yellow ones to represent us, actually. I know the yellow isn’t quite ‘blond,’ per say, but it was the closest they had...”

There was also the detail that red flowers were a symbol of love, and yellow flowers typically represented ‘friendship,’ a nod to both Marinette and Ladybug’s relationships with him, but Ladybug obviously couldn’t say that out loud.

But before Ladybug could say anything more, Adrien wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, clutching her tightly against his chest. Ladybug was thoroughly blindsided for a few seconds, but was quick to return the gesture, leaning her head against the bottom of his chin and just  _ relaxing. _

“You smell nice…” Ladybug said, before she could stop herself, and her eyes widened in horror, “I mean-  _ no, _ that’s not-”

“Well, they use me in the ads for a reason.” Adrien chuckled, and Ladybug would’ve felt even more embarrassed if not for the  _ adoring _ look he was giving her as he looked down.

The two of them remained still for a little while longer, before finally breaking the embrace. And while it had obviously needed to happen eventually, Ladybug still couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit disappointed that it had ended. She already missed his touch, and privately wondered if she could coax him into another hug (at least).

“Seriously though, you didn’t need to get me anything.” Adrien was gracious as he gently placed the flowers on his nightstand.

“No- trust me, I did.” Ladybug said, cringing to herself as she remembered her earlier behavior as Marinette.

Marinette had gotten a bit out of control earlier, and putting Adrien on the spot like that really wasn’t cool. She’d learned that Adrien knew about her crush when she was Ladybug, and had in a sense  _ weaponized _ that knowledge as Marinette. Granted, she wouldn’t have been able to reach peace of mind without knowing the truth about how he felt, but it was still ethically dubious, and she wasn’t proud of it.

In all honesty, Marinette still wasn’t sure what to make of her discovery. If Adrien really would’ve gone out with her as a civilian… that complicated things.

On the one hand, Marinette found herself  _ overjoyed.  _ All of the time that she had spent trying to win him over hadn’t been  _ completely _ in vain. Adrien, despite ultimately choosing Ladybug, clearly did feel something for Marinette, or could at least entertain the notion. If any of Marinette’s hair-brained schemes to ask him out had actually worked, then Ladybug would’ve been the one staying single…

But on the other hand, it left Marinette  _ frustrated _ with herself. Dating Adrien as Ladybug was a completely avoidable mess; it would’ve been as simple as politely declining his offer for a date, and then moving in as Marinette the next day. And while Marinette was grateful for the time they had together, whether she wore her super suit or not, it still stung.

“Just you being here is enough- I missed you these last few days.” Adrien said earnestly.

“I missed you too.” Ladybug agreed, and cringed as she realized that her statement demanded an explanation, “I just needed to sort some stuff out…

Adrien was about to say more, when his eyes suddenly lit up. He opened his school bag eagerly, as it was next to his nightstand, and began to look through it. Ladybug watched curiously as he rummaged through a couple of his folders, and closely examined the bottom of the bag. His expression darkened, however, as he came out empty-handed.

_ “Shoot.” _ Adrien muttered, “I had something for you too, but it looks like I must’ve left it on my desk at school. I got distracted before I left.”   
  


“Ah- hate it when that happens.” Ladybug chuckled nervously, fully aware of what Adrien’s ‘distraction’ had been.

“Well, it usually doesn’t.” Adrien said, somewhat bitterly, and seemed to bite his tongue a bit.

_ Looks like I’ve got work to do tomorrow. _ Ladybug cringed, realizing that she was going to have to offer Adrien an uncomfortable apology as Marinette too. She made a mental note to not mention her civilian identity again tonight.

“Soooo… Chat Noir said that he dropped by earlier?” Ladybug asked, eager to change the subject.

“He did actually!” Adrien’s smile returned as he set his bag down. Ladybug couldn’t help but notice a mischievous glint in his eye, “You didn’t tell me he had such a great sense of humor.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Ladybug was unable to hold back a giggle, “I know he’d be thrilled to hear you say that.”

The two of them ended up sitting down on his couch again, next to each other this time. Ladybug wasn’t quite leaning on his shoulder just yet, but their arms were practically touching nonetheless. Adrien was leaning back a bit, far more relaxed than he had been on her previous visits, and Ladybug couldn’t help but feel the same way.

“We have some similar interests, actually.” Adrien said, still talking about Chat Noir, “We ended up playing Mecha Strike… he’s actually pretty good.”

Ladybug smiled proudly, and was about to remark that she was also good at that  _ particular _ game, and challenge him to a match, when she heard some kind of commotion behind the couch. It was a strange noise: something resembling a  _ scoff,  _ but the room was just as empty as before when she peeked behind them. Adrien looked back as well, but he didn’t look confused- more  _ annoyed _ than anything else.

The silence grew awkward after a few seconds, so Ladybug decided to tease him a bit.

“Well, I’m sure that neither one of you is as good as me.” Ladybug said proudly, reclining lazily on the couch. Adrien grinned, and Ladybug was  _ certain _ that he was about to demand she grab a controller, but he seemed to restrain himself. She couldn’t help but smile- Adrien was a nice guy, but there was clearly a competitive edge underneath.

“Oh yeah.” He laughed, “You guys had to play together when you fought Gamer, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,  _ both _ times.” Ladybug rolled her eyes at the memory, “That guy is in your class, right?”

“Max.” Adrien nodded in confirmation, “He’s really smart- designs sentient flying robots, that sort of thing.”

“You say that so…  _ casually.” _

“Well, considering the fact that I’m literally on a date with a gorgeous superheroine…” Adrien smiled fondly at her, “...I’d say that Max’s hobbies are far from the most impressive thing in my life.”

Ladybug blushed, “You do realize my earrings are what make me special, right?”

“Not even close.” Adrien shook his head, “You drop everything twice a week to go put your life on the line for everybody-  _ that’s _ what makes you special. Not your jewelry.” He laughed, “I mean… how many times have you saved my life at this point? Simon Says, Riposte, Gorizilla… I’m sure I’m missing a few.”

And for the first time… She fully believed him. She had done it unethically, but Ladybug had learned the truth nonetheless- Adrien really did like the girl behind the mask.

“I’m just doing what anybody else would do.” Ladybug stared at her feet, embarrassment washing over her at the praise, but her boyfriend wasn’t finished gushing.

“You saved my father when he got akumatized.” Adrien continued, “You saved Nino, my bodyguard, even Chloe- even though she annoys you.” He gave her a pointed look, “You can’t tell me that  _ anybody _ would do that.”

It was funny- Ladybug took a nearly constant stream of adoration from the people of Paris perfectly in stride, but a few sentences from this boy was enough to make her melt into a puddle.

“I-I mean, I’m not alone.” Ladybug deflected, “Chat Noir helped with all of that stuff… and so did all of the other heroes.”

“Hm.” Adrien cupped her hands in his, a twinkle in his eyes like no other as he forced her to look at him, “And yet, it’s not Chat Noir that I want to kiss.”

Ladybug’s head spun at that…  _ interesting _ image, but Adrien quickly interrupted her thoughts by planting his lips onto hers.

The kiss was simultaneously gentle and firm, conveying both a genuine affection and just a touch of  _ neediness _ that startled her. She was pretty sure-  _ no, _ she was certain that Marinette would’ve melted on the spot, and Ladybug wasn’t faring much better as Adrien’s hands clasped firmly onto her shoulders.

And in that moment, nothing else mattered. There were no secret identities- there had been no fight earlier. There was only  _ them- _ and that was more than enough.

There was only them- and a stern-faced Gabriel Agreste standing in the doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It'll probably be few days until my next post sadly- I've run out of prewritten material. Thank you for reading and commenting though!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and commenting. Also: Happy New Year!


End file.
